Lionheart
by sharingank
Summary: On the brink of a revolution in the West, Naruto and Sakura decide that it is time to seek out thier former sensei Kakashi and find out the truth about his shadowed past..Chapter 6 is finally up! Sorry for the delay!
1. Default Chapter

So, I've had this story in mind for a really long time, but I just needed to get over my Shikamaru-ness and write it....I have a feeling it's going to be a rather long undertaking, but I think Kakashi deserves it...::grins::  
  
** Lionheart  
**  
"I think we should just go over to his apartment and ask him," Sakura said as she sat in front of her rather large vanity-style mirror, doing what she called 'putting on her face.' Personally, Naruto thought that she didn't really _need _to wear the makeup at all, but she always just brushed that off and said he wouldn't understand. That much was true.  
  
"Uninvited? I don't know, Sakura. For some reason, I just don't think he'd appreciate that very much."  
  
Sakura sighed, rolling her eyes. "Naruto, you're the Hokage. You don't have to be _invited_ to go and talk to one of your subordinates, do you?"  
  
Naruto's brow furrowed. "I suppose I never thought of it that way."  
  
"Obviously. Aren't you glad that you have me to solve these little problems for you?" She smiled wickedly at him via the mirror, and went back to preening herself.  
  
Naruto chose not to answer that. Instead, he began pacing back and forth in the bedroom, his face pensive. "It's just...we've known him for so long, and yet we hardly know anything about him at all! Everyone has secrets, yes, but...his entire_ life_ is a secret!" Naruto burst out, growing all the more frustrated. "You'd think after all this time that he would trust us enough to open up just a little, wouldn't you?"  
  
Her makeup on, Sakura began to calmly run a brush through her soft pink tresses. "Some wounds are more painful to reopen then others," she said, placing the brush on the vanity table and turning to her husband, who had stopped pacing. "I don't think it's a matter of trust."  
  
The Hokage looked at his wife, and the understanding was there in his eyes. He stood behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders, and kissed the top of her head. "You really are a godsend, you know. I honestly don't know what I'd do without you."  
  
Leaning back against his chest, Sakura reached over her shoulder and grasped his hand, squeezing it. "Charmer." She tilted her head back to look up at Naruto's cheerful, boyish face, the face that she had grown to love so dearly. "I love you, too, even if you can be a bit silly sometimes."  
  
Naruto laughed. "I wouldn't crow too loud over that, darlin.' Silliness is contagious." His expression turned pensive again suddenly. "Do you really think we should do this? I don't want him to feel obligated to tell us anything..."  
  
"If he doesn't want to, he won't. Then we'll just let things stand as they are." Sakura replied. "But it can't hurt to try."  
  
"I agree." Naruto said. "I just wanted some reassurance that I'm not the only nosy person around here."  
  
"Why do you think I chose to become a spy? I _love_ snooping into other people's business." Sakura grinned. Though she did manage to go on and become a Chuunin, her talents were better suited to a different line of work. When Gaara of the Sand, now a staunch ally to Konoha, and Naruto formed Onyx, the spy network that linked the Sand and the Leaf, Sakura found her niche. She was very skilled at gathering information, her knowledge of the different cultures and languages of the other countries and villages allowing her to blend in and seemingly disappear, which made her a very valuable asset to the organization. Sakura thrived off of such work, her confidence growing by the day. She was no longer the weak little girl that she once was, but a cold, calculating warrior, her weapon of choice being a pair of brass knuckles, earning her the nickname Spike among the other spies of her division. Naruto couldn't be more proud of her, knowing that she had wanted to prove herself as a worthy ninja since she started at the Academy, the same as he. Naruto smiled at her, and then looked at the clock that hung on the wall, swearing.  
  
"We're going to be late." He said, bemused. Gaara had returned from scouting out a lead he'd been following, which ended up taking him out past the Hidden Stone Village in the West, where the terrain became rocky and the climate harsh, the wind biting at exposed flesh. There were rumblings of a revolution brewing in the West, which was the cause of some concern to the Villages nearby. Gaara was giving a briefing of his findings today, so it was rather important that Naruto and Sakura be there. "I think we're going to have to run."  
  
"I think you might be right."  
  
Indeed, they did end up running, and arrived at the Onyx headquarters near the Konoha Borderlands in the nick of time, for Gaara had just stood to his feet when the Hokage and his wife blew in the door.  
  
"Sorry!" Naruto panted, looking sheepish. The others present in the audience room laughed, and a few moved over to make space for Naruto and Sakura, their cheeks rosy from the run, to sit. Gaara chuckled, leaning against the small table at the front of the room.  
  
"Nice timing," he said in his quiet voice, which resulted in more laughter. Naruto inclined his head, and Gaara smiled, the motion making his scarred face look positively impish. "It seems like whenever it's my turn to stand up here, Naruto miraculously appears when I'm about to speak. Apparently, he does not like to share attention." Laughter. "However, it also seems that I never have anything good to say when I'm here, and, unfortunately, this time is no different." He sighed, passing a hand over his eyes wearily. All attention was focused on the Sand-nin now, and silence hung in the air. "The revolution is shaping up to be more serious than we thought. The leader is not some amateur ragamuffin off the streets like some of the other idiots we've put down, but a professional. The Westerners speak of him as if he is a god, though all those I asked have never even seen him, only heard of him through word of mouth." Gaara looked down, biting the inside of his lip as he gathered his thoughts. What he really wanted to do was smash his fist against the wall, but that wouldn't solve anything.  
  
"Honestly," he continued, "all this little side-trip accomplished was to increase my frustration ten-fold. I've been hearing the rumors for months now, and the only thing the Westerners did was repeat them. I couldn't get in deep enough to catch a trace of whoever is stirring things up, and I need to. I went in ill prepared, and that was a miscalculation on my part."  
  
Naruto listened to his spymaster, his eyes narrowed. "Don't worry about it, Gaara. This trip wasn't even planned. You just happened to be in the area and decided to sniff things out. Now we know that we need to keep an eye on these Westerners. If they start showing signs of movement, we'll respond. You did us a service, my friend."  
  
"I still don't like it." Gaara replied, tasting the salty tang of blood in his mouth. He'd bitten his lip a bit too hard, apparently. His eyes met with Naruto's. "I'm going back. I _need_ more information, and the only way to get it is by going straight to the source."  
  
Sakura spoke up then. "Give me a week. I'll do some research, and go with you. We should know as much as we can about these people first, learn how their government works. If we can plant ourselves among those who hold power, we'll be one step closer to this leader. He has to be working through the government at some degree, in order to gain their trust." She put her hand on Naruto's arm before he could object, silencing him. While the idea of his Sakura gallivanting off to some remote land that they hardly knew anything about to potentially place herself in danger frightened him more than he could ever say, he needed to look at things from her perspective. How many times had he left her and risked his own life, while she could do nothing but wait for his return? No, he was going to have to let her go, as she had let him go so many times before.  
  
Gaara, who should have expected such a thing to come from Sakura, smiled a tired little smile. "You're a gem, Spike. A week it is then." With that, the briefing was over. Gaara had nothing left to say, but even if he did, he was sure that his mouth wouldn't want to cooperate anymore, anyway. He was too tired to even blink. Even now that the tanuki inside of him slept, finally sealed away into the darkest recesses of Gaara's mind, he still had trouble grasping the fact that he _himself_ could sleep as well, often remaining awake out of habit. At this rate, however, he could pass out where he stood. As his audience filed out of the room, Naruto and Sakura remained behind.  
  
"You need to go to bed," Sakura said, giving the Sand-nin a brief hug. "We were worried about you," she added in a concerned voice.  
  
Gaara returned the hug, having grown quite fond of the pink-haired girl who served under him. Their first few meetings had been none too pleasant, particularly the incident where he smashed her against a tree in his tanuki form, Naruto retaliating by utterly defeating Gaara, so much so that he had to be carried away by his brother and sister. A lot had changed since then, old hurts mended. Gaara's humanity was lost the day his father touched his mother's womb, but he still continued on despite of it, seeking a redemption that he would never fully realize. Time could not wash the blood from his hands, but he accepted that. He had a home now, and people who cared about him. Though he was still prone to fits of madness, he was never left alone to fight them off. His friends were always there to calm him, bring him back to the present where his mother's hatred no longer had any relevance. These people had become his family, along with Temari and Kankuro, and he found that he could bear his existence with something akin to happiness now that he wasn't alone anymore.  
  
"I'm fine, just irritated, is all. I hate when I can't find what I'm looking for. It makes me feel useless." He sighed again, the exhaustion manifest in his face. "Bed sounds rather nice, actually. Maybe rest will help me move past the self-pity I seem to be harboring. That's always a nuisance."  
  
Naruto grinned, clapping his spymaster on the shoulder. "You can't be a perfect all the time, Gaara."  
  
"Apparently not." The Sand-nin replied dryly, a jaw-cracking yawn splitting his face. "I think I should head back now, or I'll end up falling asleep right here."  
  
"Go. We'll meet later to research. Until then, just take it easy, okay? I don't know where you came up with the idea that you always have to be on the move in order to be productive. Not very sound logic, that. Relax! Consider this week as a mini-vacation, if you will." Sakura stared hard at the red-haired shinobi. "If I catch you anywhere _near _headquarters, you'll regret it, I promise."  
  
"Resulting to threats, Spike?"  
  
"Naturally. It's what I do best."  
  
Naruto laughed. "I can vouch for that personally."  
  
Whether it was because he was too tired to object or some other reason, Gaara shrugged, waving his hand absently. "Fine, fine." He yawned again, swaying a bit on his feet. "I'm... really...leaving...now," he managed to get out, before sharing one last look with his friends and shuffling out the door. Naruto and Sakura watched him go, shaking their heads. They too departed soon after, deciding that now was as good a time as any to pay a visit to their former sensei. He had been on a mission, but Naruto was fairly sure that he would be home by now. Taking the more scenic route, the pair arrived at Kakashi's apartment about twenty minutes later. Though the news of trouble in the West still bothered him, Naruto pushed the worry to the back of his mind for now. It would be dealt with in due time, and there was no point in fretting over it. Truth be told, he was actually growing excited. Kakashi had always been such an enigma, never speaking about himself or his past under any circumstances. If everything went accordingly, that would change today.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto stepped forward and rapped on the door once, then twice. At first, they heard nothing, but soon the sound of barking penetrated the silence, a lone voice rising above the din. "Woah, boys! Chill out! Who is that? Have we got friends?" The door opened then, Kakashi's masked face poking out. The dogs, six of them, clustered around him, their tales wagging eagerly, all trying to burst through the doorway at once to greet their visitors. "Naruto? Sakura? What are you two doing here?" Kakashi said, puzzled. He moved aside to let them in, and the dogs went crazy, sniffing and licking, waiting to be petted. Naruto and Sakura happily complied, showering the canines with attention. Kakashi grinned. "Don't butter them up too much. They're spoiled enough as is without making their heads any bigger." He gave the dogs a look, and they merely wagged their tails harder, as if to say, "so what? We're cute, aren't we?" Sakura laughed.

"They're just like children."

"I know." Kakashi reached down and scratched one of the dogs, a black and tan mutt named Chief, behind the ears. "But they're fun to have around, so I guess I can't complain. Aren't you, Chief?" The dog barked, and seemed to grin. Kakashi smiled back, and looked at the other two humans in his apartment. "So, why are you here again? Something tells me it's not just for the pleasure of my company, though that would be nice."

Naruto and Sakura exchanged a look. "We just have some things we'd like to talk to you about," Naruto said carefully, setting the stage.

"Ah," Kakashi said, raising the eyebrow of his one exposed eye. He knew the expression on Naruto's face, understood that his meaning went much deeper than those few words. This confrontation was a long time coming, Kakashi knew, but he had done all he could to avoid it. Talking about his past was hard, and there were some things that he just didn't want to have to remember ever again. However, now that Naruto was Hokage, he would no longer be able to get away with brushing the inquiries aside. Technically, it was Naruto's _right _to know about his past, though Kakashi was aware that Naruto would never use that advantage to force him into revealing things. But still..._I guess all this dancing around was bound to get back at me one of_ _these days_. "Do you mind if I take a shower first? I just got back about five minutes ago, and I feel disgusting."

Naruto smiled. "I know how that is. We can wait." He took the liberty of seating himself upon one of the couches in the main room of the apartment while Sakura sat on the floor, still playing with the dogs.

"I won't be long." Kakashi said, already heading down the hall. "Don't do anything stupid boys!" He yelled to the dogs, but they were too busy roughhousing with Sakura to even notice.

"I want a dog," She said, a hint of a pout in her voice, and looked at Naruto. "It would be nice to have someone else in the house with us, since I don't know when we'll ever have a baby." That was almost an accusation, but not quite.

"Oh come on now," Naruto chided. "It isn't entirely my fault. Neither of us have any time right now to devote to a child."

Sakura's expression softened. Because Naruto had grown up without his parents, he wanted to make sure that his children would never have to suffer the way he did. He was right. It would be selfish of both of them to have children now, when their jobs required so much of their attention. "But when, Naruto? When is there going to be time?" Her eyes were fixed on the floor, and there was something hopeless in the way she voiced that question, a hopelessness that hit Naruto straight in the gut. That wouldn't do. He left his rather comfortable position on the couch and plopped on the floor, pulling his wife into his arms. Sakura had always loved to snuggle, so she welcomed his embrace, her head against his chest.

"Soon," Naruto replied, stroking her hair. "Don't ask me how I know. I can just..._feel_ it. Do you know what I mean?"

Sakura nodded, the fabric of Naruto's shirt rubbing up against her skin. Her decision to marry him had stemmed partially from one of those feelings he spoke of, and it was possibly the best decision she had ever, or would ever make in her life. Letting go of Sasuke was hard, but she was glad to finally be free of the shackles that her childhood feelings bound her in. He had never shown any interest in her, yet she still tried so hard to win his affection, his love...the love that Naruto gave her without her asking for it. She hadn't even wanted it then, not until she realized that her heart already belonged to him. It only made her all the more grateful that Naruto grasped that fact before she did, or else they might not be where they were today.

"I guess I'll just have to be patient then." She said, a ghost of a smile returning to her face. "I think I can do that."

Naruto grinned, and kissed her hair. "That's my girl."  
  
Kakashi entered his living room feeling more the thing after his shower, wearing a pair of pajama pants and a white t-shirt, and stumbled upon Naruto and Sakura in their current position, the dogs clustered around them. It was an awfully cute picture they made, he had to admit, and he almost wished he had a camera with film handy. He always thought that Naruto and Sakura would end up together, seeing as how their personalities suited each other, and it did not come as a surprise the day he found out they were getting married. That had been nearly four years ago...almost the same time that Sasuke disappeared. Kakashi still had his suspicions as to whether or not his former student was dead, as the popular opinion would suggest. No one ever spoke of him anymore, his name becoming somewhat of a taboo. Shaking his head, he cleared his throat rather loudly to alert the happy couple to his presence.

Naruto craned his head back and was greeted to a view of his sensei sans the mask, and his eyes went wide. Sakura too had noticed by that point, and her mouth hung open, her voice coming out as a squeak. Kakashi stared at the both of them as if they had each sprouted an extra head. He had completely forgotten that neither Naruto nor Sakura had ever seen his face before, and he only shrugged when they pointed that out. "I didn't feel like wearing it now...kind of stupid, you know? Why, is it really that bad?" He viewed his reflection in the surface of his microwave.

"Kakashi," Sakura began slowly, unbelieving of what she saw. "You _do _realize that you're a bachelor for no reason, don't you? All you'd need to do is go out in the street without that blasted mask and you could take your pick. That face is _gorgeous_! Why in all the hell do you cover it?"

"To keep from getting reactions like that," he replied, rifling through his fridge for something edible. It looked like it was going to be another peanut butter and jelly day.

"But _Kakashi_! You're...you're like...a sex god! I can't even...what is _wrong_ with you?" Sakura exclaimed in exasperation. Naruto started chuckling.

"You have to excuse her. She gets very exited over things like this." To tell the truth, Naruto never expected for Kakashi to look the way that he did without his mask, either. For some reason, he always imagined that his sensei was hiding a large pair of fish lips, or something of the kind, and obviously that was false.

"I'll settle down eventually, Sakura," Kakashi said as he spread peanut butter over a slice of bread. "I just haven't met the right girl yet, that's all." He licked some rogue peanut butter off of his thumb, and screwed the lid to the container back on.

"It's probably because of those _books _you read all the time," Sakura said, her eyes boring into his back and her arms crossed. "That's a terrible habit to have."

Kakashi snorted. "Those _books_, eh?" He looked directly at her, a wicked smile on his face. "Yes, Sakura, your sensei is a pervert. I know, what is the world coming to, and so on and so forth," he waved his hand absently. "Everyone's got a flaw, don't they? I suppose that happens to be one of mine." With that, he winked, and started in on the jelly. Unfortunately, the lid was not as easy to pry off, since it hadn't been used in awhile, and the jelly had dried around the rim on the inside.

Naruto could not hold back his laughter as Sakura's face became a nice, healthy shade of red. She looked at her husband, trying to form a coherent sentence. "Did you....he....oh I give up. You're all the same. At the end of the day, the only thing on your minds is getting ass."

"Exactly," Naruto and Kakashi replied in unison.

Sakura stared at them, finally throwing her arms in the air in defeat. "Why me?" She implored to the ceiling. "Why did I even say anything?"

Kakashi came over, his completed sandwich in hand, and patted her fondly on the head. "You're just a slow learner, that's all."

She glared daggers at him. "I have half a mind to spank you right about now. You deserve it, brat."

"Uh, who's the brat, brat? You're in my house, prying into my life. I could just kick you out the door if I really wanted to."

"You would do that to Naruto?" Sakura shot back.

"Did I say Naruto? I only recall saying I'd kick you out, dearest."

Sakura's mouth opened and closed. She looked at Naruto. "Did you hear that? Are you going to let him get away with it?"

"Well, he does have a point," he flinched back from Sakura's hand, though she managed to cuff his shoulder.

"I hate you." She said, turning her head to the side and sticking her nose in the air.

Kakashi, laughing, knelt on the ground and grabbed Sakura up in a one- armed hug. "You know we're only teasing, you little rascal. Life just wouldn't be the same if you weren't around to slap our shortcomings in our faces." It was his turn to dodge Sakura's fist, and he was successful.

"Lucky," she muttered, and grinned. Her former sensei grinned back, and settled himself on the floor, leaning his back against the couch. His expression turned serious then.

"Let's get down to business, shall we? I know why you're here." His eyes strayed to the dogs, and Chief, being the only one not asleep, raised his head. Kakashi patted the spot next to him, and the dog came over and curled up against Kakashi's side.

Naruto spoke up first. "Listen, you don't need to tell us anything if you don't feel like you're ready to. It's just...I couldn't stand the curiosity anymore. Neither of us, and-"

"What do you want to know?" Kakashi interrupted.

Sakura jumped in. "Everything. About your childhood, how you got your Sharingan...all of it."

Kakashi raised his eyebrows. "That's straight to the point." He seemed to mull it over in his head for a bit, Naruto and Sakura waiting with baited breath. Looking at their hopeful faces, Kakashi found it hard to refuse. "All right," he said softly, much to Naruto and Sakura's shock. He smiled, and it was bittersweet. "I've been holding all of this in for too long. I need to let go of it." He paused. "How much time did you say you had?"

"As much time as we need." Naruto replied quickly.

"Good. This may take a while."

Wow...I'm so glad that I finally got this story rolling...it's been stuck in my head for such a long time....the stuff about the revolution is going to come into play later, in the companion story Spymaster (I'm planning ahead...scary) and at the end of this one, so it isn't just some random babbling...and Sasuke's part will be explained too...let me know what you think!


	2. Family

Here is the next chapter...this really is going to take as long as I thought...gah!! ::laziness attacks:: NOOO!!! I shall prevail!!!!!! ::insane laugher:: Er..right...anyway...I'm going to be jumping back and forth between perspectives...sometimes it will be Kakashi talking to Naruto and Sakura, and sometimes past events will read as if they are happening in the present, but that's where the dividing lines will kick in, so it shouldn't be too confusing...I hope.

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 2: Family  
**  
Naruto and Sakura sat on the floor of Kakashi's apartment, intent on listening to his every word. He was about to reveal things that had remained secret for years, personal things, intimate. They could not help but feel honored that he decided to bear his soul to them, and were ready and willing to give him their complete and unfettered attention. Kakashi, mask-less and in pajamas, was not used to having such a captive audience, and he was a bit nervous to even begin telling his tale. But, he knew that he needed to do it, to cast aside the past that haunted him and move on. It was a burden he was willing to be rid of, no matter how painful it was to recall the memories...  
"So, where should I start?" He mused aloud, the question directed more at himself than his former students.  
"How about your family?" Sakura suggested gently, quelling her impatience. The situation needed to be handled with extreme care, and being forceful would not aid matters in any way. Kakashi, pulling Chief's head onto his lap, began stroking the dog's fur, a far off look in his eyes. He saw his mother's beautiful face, his father's mischievous smile, his beloved sister wielding her katana. Yes, he would start with his family. Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly, preparing himself. Chief nuzzled Kakashi's hand as if to encourage him, and Kakashi smiled.  
"Well," he began, "my mother and father first met at the Academy..."

* * *

"Hey, Hatake!" A cheerful voice rang out among the new students admitted to the Academy of Shinobi Arts, all anxious, chattering young children. Hatake Akinari scanned the mass of bodies for the source of the voice, his eyes coming in contact with Genda Eijiro, his best friend and confidant, sitting near the front and waving his arms. Akinari laughed and made his way through the rows of seats, slapping high-fives with other friends as he went. The girls in particular seemed to be affected by his entrance, all of them scrambling to catch his attention and secure his presence next to them, but Akinari, though he acknowledged them, continued on to the front and settled himself next to Eijiro.

"Hey, bro!" Akinari exclaimed, slinging an arm around Eijiro's shoulders. "Ready to be a shinobi?"

Eijiro grinned. "Are you kidding? I've been waiting for this since I was _born_."

"We're only learning the basics now. The _real_ work doesn't start until we graduate." A haughty voice cut in. Akinari and Eijiro turned their heads to the side, and a girl with blue-black hair stared back at them, arms crossed over her chest. "We're not even close to becoming shinobi." She said, irritated to have to explain what should be common knowledge.

Akinari raised an eyebrow, his attention piqued. He took the time to examine the girl, coming to the conclusion that she was quite pretty despite the sour expression on her face. Her hair in particular was fascinating: it was long, almost reaching to mid-back, and if one were to squint, the color would shift from blue to black and back again. Her eyes were large, blue pools, and her pouting mouth was small and rosy. She had he look of a fighter, which Akinari liked. At ten, his interest in the opposite sex was more than most of the boys his age, all of whom seemed to think that girls had cooties. Akinari knew better.

"Who are you?" He asked, not put-off by her rude interruption. "It's proper to introduce yourself before you speak to strangers, isn't it?" He smiled, and received a glare in return.

"My name is Kamio Haruko." She said, her eyes narrowing. "Who are _you_?"

"Hatake Akinari," he said and motioned to Eijiro. "And this is Genda Eijiro." The other boy flashed a peace-sign, and Haruko snorted. She found her eyes straying to the boy with the silvery hair, Akinari. Something about him annoyed her, yet she could not shake the feeling that he was different from the other morons of their year. This might be interesting, she thought to herself. Akinari grinned at her. "It's nice to meet you," he said as their new teacher entered the room.

"Quiet down, guys," The shinobi said as he strode to the front, surveying his students and smiling. The room became silent, and all eyes were focused on him. "My name is Umino Ichiyo, and I'll be instructing you in the ways of a shinobi. In this room, you will learn the twelve basic hand seals needed to perform jutsus, the different classes of jutsus including Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, and Taijutsu, and what chakra is and how it moves through the body, among other things. You will also learn how to use kunai and shuriken, as those are the basic weapons that a shinobi carries at all times." He paused, his smile growing wider. "When you graduate, you will be Genin, the lowest class of shinobi, and assigned to a three-man team and a Jounin instructor. To reach that goal, you must work hard and not be discouraged. The path you have chosen is not an easy one, but I believe that each and every one of you can rise to meet the challenge."

Akinari felt the excitement beginning to brew in his blood. He wanted to become a shinobi not to make his name famous, but to serve the people of his village, to fight for them, protect them. His father impressed upon him at an early age the patriotism that he wore like a badge on his chest. And while he wasn't aware of it at the time, Haruko, too, felt a strong kinship with the brave people of Konoha, wanting to prove herself worthy in their eyes to be called one of the Leaf.

As the year progressed, Haruko and Akinari formed a friendship that bordered on rivalry, the two of them working like fiends to best each other in every aspect. Eijiro watched them with amusement, convinced that they were destined to be together further on down the line. When he told them so, they balked, trying to prove him wrong by picking fights with each other in front of him. Of course, it came as no surprise that upon Graduation the three new Genins were grouped together as a team, their Jounin sensei a wily young woman named Yuuhi Kaya. She could sense the attraction between her students as well, seeing past their attempts at concealing what was not even known to Akinari or Haruko themselves.  
  


* * *

Sakura, who was enchanted by the tale, could not keep the smile from her face. "Oh, that is so adorable," she said, her hand over her mouth.

Naruto laughed. "Haruko-san sounds like someone I know," he said, fixing his wife with a pointed look, and she blushed.

"How did they ever realize that they loved each other?" She asked Kakashi, choosing not to respond to Naruto's comment. Her former sensei grinned.

"They had been Jounins for two years when they took on an S-rank mission together to kill a renegade shinobi of the Leaf who threatened to spill our secrets if he wasn't taken care of. They weren't expecting him to be a master of the katana, though, and that's where they ran into some problems."  
  


* * *

Akinari saw her fall after the shinobi was dead, her hand clasped to her side as blood leaked through her fingers. Haruko had dealt the blow that ultimately killed their target, but not before she was stabbed herself. While Akinari had sustained his own injuries, they were forgot when Haruko hit the ground. Time seemed to stand still for a second or two, his brain trying to register what had happened.

He'd been knocked in the head with the butt of the renegade's katana, and came to just in time to witness Haruko and the shinobi's battle. They were both weakened, and so not as quick to dodge attacks as they would have been in full strength, which explained why Haruko could not escape the katana that was thrust in her side. Akinari's heart nearly stopped beating, and he opened his mouth as if to cry out to her, but no sound came out. Even before the sword was yanked out, Haruko reached into her side pouch for one of her kunai, embedding it right between the shinobi's eyes. It all happened so fast that her prey did not know he'd lost until he died, crumpling to the ground in a heap. Haruko then gripped the hilt of the sword, which was smaller than usual for a katana, and slowly pulled it out, careful not to cause any more damage. And then she collapsed.

The precious few seconds of disbelief passed, and Akinari dragged himself across the grassy field to where Haruko lie. Her face was ghostly pale, and she was bathed in cold sweat and blood, her breathing labored. Akinari forced himself to remain calm as he removed her hand and opened her vest, peeling the material of her tight, black shirt away from the wound. He bit his lip. From the looks of things, it was deep, potentially fatal if nothing was done to stop the blood from flowing.

"Bad, huh?" Haruko gasped, correctly interpreting the look in Akinari's eyes.

When he could trust himself to speak, he answered, "Don't worry about it. I'll have you patched up in no time." The slight quaver in his voice betrayed the emotion he was trying to hide from her, but Haruko did not comment on that.

"It hurts like a bitch," she replied instead, screwing her eyes shut as Akinari, who had received a little training in the art of healing, urged the blood around the opening of the wound to clot using gathered chakra in his palm. Once the bleeding was more or less slowed down, he produced a long bandage from his own side pouch and wrapped it around Haruko's middle, pulling as tight as he could. Haruko winced at the pressure, but did not protest. She would need to see a certified healer when they returned to the village, but for the time being she would be safe.

Akinari ran a trembling hand through his silvery, unkempt hair. "You idiot," he whispered. "Where you _trying_ to get yourself killed?" His voice raised a few octaves. "Why in all the hell did you attack him like that? You're lucky you didn't get your head sliced from your shoulders!"

Smiling through her pain, Haruko reached her hand out and placed it over Akinari's. "What else was I supposed to do? I wasn't going to let him get away, and I wasn't about to retreat and just leave you here. I am not a coward," she said gently, her hand squeezing his, "and I will never run away. Never."

"We must be crazy," Akinari said, shaking his head. "No one with common sense would even think of doing our job." But he felt the same way as she, deep in his heart, and so he could not rebuke her. He'd have done the exact same thing if he were in her position. Yet, he wanted to shake her for fighting that shinobi in such a foolhardy way, while she was weak. She was more intelligent than that. His eyes met with hers and held, the nagging emotion that had always remained in the background springing forth. It was as if a veil had been lifted from his eyes, allowing him to see clearly what had evaded him for so many years.

"Could you help me up?" Haruko asked, her heart pounding. Their relationship had been changing, ever so slightly, as the years passed, their hands touching for those few extra seconds longer, eyes meeting whenever they looked at each other. A little voice in her head told her that she was falling in love with Akinari, but she could not, or would not, bring herself to believe it. She was a shinobi, and her duty was to the village; she did not have time for love. At least, that is what she said over in her mind, thinking that if she repeated it enough, her heart would be steeled. Haruko tried that tactic now as Akinari lifted her into a sitting position, but her thoughts were faltering. The two stared at each other, and Haruko broke down first, her arms encircling his neck. He returned her embrace, careful to avoid the wound on her side.

"You scared the shit out of me, I hope you know," Akinari said when they pulled apart, his hands on her shoulders. "God...all I saw was you on the ground with all that blood..."

Haruko laughed shakily. "I like red."

Akinari raised his eyebrows. "Well I don't. At least, not that kind." He paused, his expression serious. "I love you." It was a statement, firm, straightforward. "I love you," he repeated almost in awe, one hand moving from her shoulder to caress her cheek.

Haruko's breath caught. _I love you_. The words echoed through her head, sending shockwaves down her spine. In her idle daydreams, she had imagined him saying those words, but the reality hit much harder than any fantasy ever could. Her resolve to turn a blind eye to the prospect of sharing her life with someone shattered like a million tiny shards of glass, and tears came unbidden to her eyes. She forgot about the pain in her side, forgot the Leaf, forgot everything.

"I love you, too," she choked, the tears cascading down her face. "I-I can't ignore it anymore. Heaven knows I've tried."

Hearing her words, Akinari closed the distance between them and pressed his mouth against hers, pouring out all of the love that he had kept bottled up into his kiss. Haruko kissed him back, grateful to be sitting, as her legs would have given out had she been on her feet. They were both laughing when they broke apart, at their own foolishness, mostly.

"We're both too damn stubborn," Akinari said, wiping at his eyes.

"I know," Haruko replied, still laughing. "It's all so..._stupid_!" She put emphasis on the word stupid, shaking her head. "First class idiots."

Akinari snickered. "Oh, of course. Nothing but the best. But at least we'll be idiots together, right?"

Haruko's face glowed. "Always." She said, and kissed him. "Now, you could be a gentleman and carry me home. I think that would be nice," she added with an impish grin, holding out her arms to him. Akinari was in fact a gentleman, and complied with pleasure, scooping her up and beginning the trek back to the village, smiling the whole way.  
  


* * *

The Hokage's pink-haired little wife was beside herself by that point, producing a handkerchief from a pocket and dabbing at her eyes. "Oh," she began, a catch in her voice, "that was beautiful."  
Naruto and Kakashi exchanged a look, their brows raised. Women got worked up over the silliest things, and neither of them could quite understand it.  
"They were married after that, weren't they?" Sakura asked, the handkerchief still in her hand.  
"Mm-hmm," Kakashi nodded. "Once my mother's side was completely healed, which took about two months, give or take. They were both twenty- three at the time. I was born a year later, on September 15..."  
  


* * *

The noise coming from the room that his wife was giving birth in made Akinari want to break the door down and comfort her, but he was told, quite firmly by the midwives, to stay where he was. It wasn't proper for a man to be present at a birth, and so all he could do was pace back and forth, raking his hands through his hair, cursing. He stopped short when a high pitched wail issued from the room, and his eyes went wide. The door opened, and the head midwife motioned for him to come forward.

"You have a son," she said, smiling, and moved aside.

A lump rose in his throat when Akinari beheld his wife, tired and wan, but content, and his newborn son, nestled in Haruko's arms.

"Isn't he beautiful?" She said as Akinari came to the bed, and looked up at him with loving eyes. She held the baby out and Akinari took him, still not quite believing that he was a father. He examined his son, laughing upon seeing the tuft of silvery hair, Akinari's hair, that poked out from beneath the tiny hat that covered the baby's head. His eyes were dark, dark blue, and they stared up at Akinari calmly.

"Hey champ," Akinari said, the baby responding by closing his tiny, pink hand around his father's finger. He had a firm grip, which pleased Akinari even more.

"What should we call him?" Haruko asked, watching her husband and child interact with a sense of pure joy.

"Hmm," Akinari looked closer at the boy. After a few moments, he had it. "Kakashi," he said, and the baby gripped his finger even tighter.

"Kakashi," Haruko repeated the name slowly. For some reason, it seemed to fit. "That's perfect."

"Welcome to the world, Kakashi," Akinari whispered, kissing the baby's head.  
  
Little Kakashi was a very good-natured baby who rarely fussed, which his parents found to be a blessing. He did have an inquisitive streak, however, one that led him to explore on an everyday basis the wonders that his house held. He was particularly fond of pots and pans, discovering that, when hit with another object such as a spoon, could produce a wide range of interesting sounds. He was a quick learner, walking and talking earlier than most babies, and his father began training him in the arts of a shinobi before he was a year old. By the time he turned three, Kakashi could throw a kunai with deadly accuracy, and he was equally skilled with shuriken and makibishi, or ground nails. He had memorized six of the twelve hand seals and was able to produce two solid clones of himself at one time. After her brush with the katana, Haruko insisted on learning how to wield one herself, and began teaching her son on the weapon as well. It was clear that Kakashi was not like other children, and that he would go on to be an accomplished shinobi, perhaps even surpassing his parents.

He was still a child, however, and enjoyed doing child-like activities such as rolling around in the mud with the family dogs, of which there were four. Kakashi liked getting as dirty as he could, it seemed, and Haruko had to work like mad to get the stains out of his clothing. He made friends wherever he went due to his cheerful nature, very much like his father. Kakashi had a deep-seated respect for Akinari, taking the things his father said and did to heart, storing them in his memory. One conversation he would never forget the rest of his life. The two had been outside on the porch of their small house watching the sunset, a three-year- old Kakashi sitting in his father's lap.

"I want to be a shinobi like you," Kakashi said, craning his head back to see his father's face.

Akinari grinned. "You will be. But it won't be easy. You're going to have to work very hard."

"I will!" Kakashi exclaimed. "I'll work _really_ hard. You'll see."

"I don't doubt it, champ." Akinari ruffled his son's hair. "There's one thing I want you to remember, though. A shinobi is a servant, not a master. Don't ever forget that. Your deeds are what will judge you in the end, not your own personal gain. By becoming a shinobi, you are pledging your life to the protection and care of others, and it will be that way until the day you die."  
Though that was a lot of information for Kakashi to grasp, something about Akinari's words struck a chord in his heart, and his determination became ever greater. "I'm not afraid," he said simply, his eyes staring off into the horizon as the sun dipped beneath the white, puffy clouds. "If you and Mama can do it, then so can I."

Akinari smiled. This child was definitely his son, there was no denying that.  
  
During the year Haruko became pregnant again, and Kakashi watched her swelling abdomen with fascination. Sometimes the baby would kick, and Haruko would call her son over and place his hand on her belly so that he could feel, which always amazed him. He was getting used to the idea that he would not be the only child in the house, but it didn't really bother him all that much. It would be fun to have another person around to play with. While he preferred a brother, he supposed he could tolerate a sister just as well, as long as she wasn't prissy like some of the other little girls he was acquainted with. They all acted very strange whenever he was around, and he did not understand why. He also couldn't see the reason why people stopped his parents on the streets while the family was on an outing to comment about what a beautiful child Kakashi was. He endured the pinching of his cheeks and the pointing as best he could, but it still irritated him a bit.

The months went by, Haruko growing larger and larger until she could no longer leave her bed. December came, with snow falling in buckets, providing Kakashi with ample opportunity to go sledding, a pastime he found thrilling, especially during the rare occasions when the momentum sent him flying from the sled into snowdrifts. He'd return to his house, dripping wet and frozen, but happy, describing his endeavors with fervor to his bewildered parents.

"It was HUGE!!!" He exclaimed, using his hands to illustrate the pile of snow he'd landed in. "And I got buried all the way to my neck! Isn't that awesome?"

Akinari raised his eyebrow, and proceeded to carry his son in the crook of his arm to the bathroom, laughing. "Totally awesome," he said, and plopped Kakashi in a waiting tub of hot water.  
  
On December 22, three days before Christmas, the Hatakes welcomed their second child, a little girl named Asia, to the family. From the moment he first saw her, Kakashi was in love. She had the same silvery hair as her father and brother, only hers was slightly darker, and her bright blue eyes were her mother's. When Kakashi was allowed to hold her, she looked at him with those eyes, and he melted. Asia became his baby, his sister, and he took on the role of big brother with pride, determined to take her under his wing and guide her steps.

"I'll always be here to protect you," he said to Asia, who cooed happily in his arms. "No matter what happens."  
  


* * *

"I didn't realize you had a sister," Naruto said, looking at Kakashi with wonder. His former sensei scratched at Chief's head.  
"Yeah," He replied softly as the dog licked his hand. "She was my baby girl..." He trailed off.  
"Do you want to stop?" Sakura asked, concern in her eyes.  
"No," Kakashi replied. "I can't now. Not after I've started. I need to let go of all of it, not just part of it." Now that his resolve was set, he found that it was a bit easier to speak, and so he continued on, determined to keep going to the end.

* * *

WHEW!!!! ::wipes forehead:: That took a looong time to write!! I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can, but it may take a bit...especially at the rate this is going....


	3. Academy

Oi!! Here is chapter 3!!! This one was fun...tee-hee!! It's nice to have some fluffiness before the angst rears its head...and there WILL be angst in abundance...I am really not looking forward to writing it, but...I shall bear it the best I can. Thanks so much for the reviews, guys!! I just needed to get this story out, and I thought I would share it with those who wanted to tag along for the ride...I really appreciate it!! Oh, and I thought I'd say that I picked Spike for Sakura because a.) I want to get rid of the little wussy girl image, and b.) her brass knuckles do indeed have retractable spikes - But I shall go into that in more detail in the future, I promise.  
  
**

* * *

**

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**Chapter 3: Academy**  
  
"A few months after Asia was born, my mother and father decided that it was time for me to attend Academy." Kakashi paused, grinning at the memory. "Keep in mind, I was only four years old then, and a child of that age being enrolled was almost unheard of."

* * *

"_How_ old is he?" A young man with knife scars littering his face leaned over the desk he sat behind to peer down at Kakashi, who looked back up at him with one eyebrow cocked.

"Why does everyone always do that?" Kakashi asked, directing the question at his father, who stood beside him. "It's _weird_."

Akinari choked back a laugh, and rested his hands on Kakashi's shoulders. "He's four," he said in response to the scarred man's question. "But I really don't think that is going to be a problem, is it?" He too raised an eyebrow, smiling wickedly. "He is my son, Genda. Trust me, he can handle this."

Eijiro dropped all pretense of sternness and laughed. After becoming a Jounin himself, Akinari's best friend had taken on the semi-permanent position of an examiner; the job suited him quite well, he thought. He enjoyed seeing all the fresh, new faces of students who reminded him so much of himself in those days, and was always happy to work with them. "So another Hatake is finally joining the ranks," he said with mirth. "I was wondering when that would happen. You pests are impossible to be got rid of."

"We like to fester," Akinari replied with a straight face.

"What are you talking about?" Kakashi finally burst out. His father and the crazy man were speaking in some sort of code, it seemed, and he wanted in on it. "Do you know him?" He pointed at Eijiro, who winked.

"Your father and I have been friends for a very long time, since we were about your age, I'd say."

Kakashi looked sideways at Akinari, and he nodded a confirmation.

"So that's why you're both nutters," the boy said, to much amused laughter.

"Very well spoken," Eijiro complimented with aplomb. "That's exactly why." Opening a drawer in the desk, he produced a pen and scribbled something in a rather large leather-bound volume, a record of all the students to ever pass through the Academy doors. "I look forward to working with you, Hatake Kakashi," Eijiro said, a twinkle in his eye. "You start March 1st at 8:00 sharp. Good luck, kiddo."

* * *

"Kakashi, I've been wondering about something," Sakura said as she stroked the fur of one of the six dogs that inhabited her former sensei's apartment. "When did you start wearing the mask?"  
"Almost as soon as I was accepted to the Academy. I'm sure you figured by now that I'm not a huge fan of being stared at," Naruto and Sakura both laughed, "and it happened all the time, so I came up with the idea of covering my face." He smiled. "Ma raised a fit over that."  
  


* * *

"What on earth is this?" Haruko had just returned from fetching Asia, who had woken from her nap, when she caught sight of her little boy, and her eyes narrowed. While the rest of his outfit was normal, a navy blue shirt and shorts, one part of it just did not fit. "Kakashi, where did that come from?" She said, disgusted. A mask the same navy blue as his clothing completely shielded his face, only leaving his eyes exposed. Haruko hated it. "Take it off, sweetheart. It looks silly."

Kakashi, however, was adamant. "I don't care. I won't get funny looks now."

Haruko's eyebrow twitched, a sign that Kakashi knew was not good. "Why would you get funny looks?"

"I don't know. People get all goofy when they see my face, and now they won't have to. And my cheeks will feel much better, too," he added when he saw the spark begin to flare in his mother's eyes. Akinari picked that moment to come in from yanking out some weeds in the vegetable garden. Haruko's wrath changed direction.

"Do you see what your son is wearing?"

Akinari winced. "You've noticed the mask."

Haruko jammed her finger against Akinari's chest. "You encouraged him, didn't you?" She accused. "He looks like a bandit! Tell him to take it off!"

Kakashi watched as his mother argued and his father tried to calm her, and raised his eyebrows at Asia, who giggled. _At least **she** understands_, Kakashi thought, shaking his head. Asia babbled at him, not caring if his face was covered or not, knowing that he was the person who always played with her. Haruko was so distraught that she didn't even feel it when Kakashi took his sister into his own arms and cuddled her. Asia, he knew, loved it when he did that. "Mama's lost it," he said to her, and the baby responded by patting the material over his face with one tiny hand.

It took a while for Haruko to get accustomed to the mask, and while she never would like it, she managed to tolerate it enough to hold back the comments that would make no difference anyway.

* * *

"I don't blame her," Sakura said primly. "If you were _my_ child, I'd have _ripped_ it off. Poor Haruko-san, she had to put up with such nonsense."  
  
Naruto snorted, and Kakashi shrugged. "I'm a natural-born troublemaker, Sakura. I thought you knew that by now."

"Oh hush. You just want to spend the rest of your life married to your dogs. I still can't get over the fact that you covered up a face like that all these years. You are completely deranged."

"Why, what a nice thing to say. I'm touched." Kakashi looked to Naruto. "She always comes up with the most endearing terms, doesn't she? Deranged...music to my ears, honey to my soul-" Sakura's fist found its target this time.

"You do realize that you are just egging her on, don't you?" Naruto said, wrapping an arm around his tiny wife.

"Yes. It's ever so much fun, too. Now, where was I? All these interruptions keep throwing me off track." He smirked at Sakura, and she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Whatever," she said.

"Anyway," Kakashi began, picking up where he left off. "My first day at Academy..."

* * *

Kakashi walked into the Academy of Shinobi Arts on sturdy legs, his excitement giving him a bit of a bounce to his step. While his parents had taught him quite a bit already, there were still so many things he had yet to learn, and he was eager to begin honing his skill. The fact that he was one of this year's youngest students did not intimidate him in the slightest, rather it made him even more excited than he already was. Older classmates had more tricks up their sleeves, tricks that he could observe and use himself. When he reached the main classroom, he could hear what seemed like millions of voices, all with the same energized edge. Kakashi, grinning beneath his mask, pushed open the whitewashed double doors and thus began the journey into the life of a shinobi.  
  
Finding an empty seat was the first order of business.  
  
After a few moments of scanning the area, Kakashi's sharp eyes detected a spot near the front, and he made his way down, noting with glee that his mask was effectively keeping attention away from his face. When he reached the spot, which was on the end, he sat, his feet a few inches from the floor. He was just about to take another good look at his surroundings when he heard a voice next to him.

"Hi there! My name's Sarutobi Asuma," a hand was offered, and Kakashi turned his head. The owner of the hand had dark hair and eyes, and he wore a peculiar pair of goggles that Kakashi found quite interesting. A well- chewed toothpick protruded from the boy's mouth, which he shifted to the side using only his tongue. Kakashi, needless to say, was impressed. He took the browned hand in his own, and shook it.

"I'm Hatake Kakashi," he replied.

Asuma grinned. "This is all so exciting, isn't it?" He switched the toothpick to the other side and gnawed on it. "My dad's been teaching me stuff, but this'll be so much cooler."

The two then proceeded to engage in a very lively conversation, using assorted hand gestures and expressions. Kakashi discovered that Asuma was only a year older than he, and that served to cement their friendship even further. In the course of a few minutes, they were laughing and joking as if they had known each other all their short lives. Asuma, unlike Haruko, thought that Kakashi's mask was 'just as sweet as my goggles!' and Kakashi planned on telling his mother that. Maybe she would see how spiffy the mask made him look then.

While all of this was going on, another boy of exceptional talent watched the two who sat in front of him like a hawk, scowling. The kid with the goggles was annoying, but the other one, he thought he'd heard his name...Hatake Kakashi...he went beyond annoying. _Why is he wearing a_ _mask_? Maito Gai snorted, crossing his arms over his chest. _Trying to be a hot shot, I bet. Feh_. _He'll have to beat **me** first_. Gai pictured his own dashing physique, complete with a set of charmingly individual eyebrows and a fantastic hairstyle to boot, and laughed out loud, earning him looks from every direction.

Kakashi stopped in the middle of a sentence and turned around, curious as to what the commotion was, and had to bite his tongue to keep from snickering. He could sense Asuma next to him doing the very same thing. Gai mistook their efforts as jealousy of his obvious manliness, and flashed what would later become his trademark toothy smile.

"I know," he said, managing to sound deprecating for a child, "you must be upset that your looks aren't as good as mine." He waved a hand absently.

As one, Kakashi and Asuma's mouths fell open, and their eyes went wide. Whoever this kid was, he could be classified as insane and shipped to a mental hospital. For one thing, his eyebrows were at least ten sizes larger than normal, and for another, his jet black hair looked as if an upside-down bowl had been placed on his head. Granted, Kakashi, being four, did not really understand the concept of fashion, but eyes do not lie. He could see for himself that the boy had a few screws loose if he thought that he was good looking.

"Er.." he began, but could not finish. He would have lost to his laughter, and that would be mean. Asuma did not even attempt to speak.

Again, Gai mistook their silence for something else. "I haven't introduced myself! How silly of me!" He drew himself up and puffed out his chest. "I am none other..." he paused, to achieve a dramatic effect, "...than Konoha's very own Green Beast, MAITO GAI!" His declaration was accompanied by a pose, in order for his audience to admire him.

"Green..." Kakashi began.

"_Beast_..." Asuma finished.

Before the situation could get any crazier, their sensei finally made his entrance, and it was a good thing, too, because the minute they faced front, Kakashi and Asuma's laughter, though muffled behind mask and hand, escaped. Gai, who was oblivious to this, was more than a little put out to be interrupted, but he told himself that he would have plenty of opportunity to prove his greatness later, and snapped to attention when the man at the front of the room began to speak.

"Look at all of these faces!" The man exclaimed, beaming. "I have a feeling this year is going to produce quite a few talented Genins," he said, eyes meeting with Kakashi's briefly before they moved on to take in the rest of the class. "I am Amaya Nariaki," he inclined his head, "and I'm sure I'll get to know each and every one of you as we move into the swing of things. We're going to be covering a lot of material in here, but it shouldn't be too boring," the statement was greeted with laughter, "I know what it's like to be a student, so I'll do my best to keep things interesting."

Kakashi could barely contain his enthusiasm. He liked his sensei very much, and he was sure that the class would prove to be a lot of fun. Behind him, Gai was having similar thoughts, only his were far more animated. He could not wait to see how this year would turn out, especially now that he had found two new targets to display his awesomeness to. That alone was enough to satisfy him.

Returning home later that day, Kakashi was greeted by Asia, who was perfecting the art of crawling, having made it all the way to the front hall from the living room. He chuckled when he saw her, and scooped her up in a hug. "Hey baby girl!" Asia belly laughed and Kakashi pulled down his mask, smothering her with kisses. "Look how far you got today!" He put her down, and she followed along behind him as he went in search of his parents, finding them preparing dinner together in the kitchen.

"Champ!" His father grinned as he looked up from the vegetables he was slicing. "How did it go?"

"Awesome!" He swiped a fresh baked cookie off of the countertop before his mother could stop him and popped it in his mouth, speaking quickly. "I made a friend already! His name is Asuma, and he's only a year older than me! And my sensei rocks, his name is Amaya Nariaki, and then there was this really goofy kid who sat behind me named Gai-"

"Woah! Hold up a minute." Akinari raised an eyebrow. "Gai? As in, Maito Gai?"

"Yeah! He was weird!" Kakashi used his pointer fingers and motioned to his eyebrows. "He had these really big eyebrows, and he was saying all of this crazy stuff. He called himself the _Green Beast_." Kakashi put emphasis on the name.

Haruko and Akinari exchanged looks, erupting into fits of helpless giggling. "That is definitely Genjo's boy," Haruko said, wiping at her streaming eyes. "He has a certain flare for theatrics."

Akinari was still attempting to calm down. "You'd better watch out for that one, champ. If he's anything like his father, once he's picked a target, it's all over. He'll do whatever he can to show off."

Kakashi got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. If his hunch was correct, then it was already too late. _He_ was the target.

* * *

Sakura and Naruto were both howling too hard for Kakashi to continue, and, looking at them, it was difficult not to laugh himself.

"That sounds like Gai," Naruto chortled. "A buffoon even as a kid."

Sakura could not even get words out. When she tried, her voice issued as a squeak, and then she dissolved into hysterics again.

Kakashi shook his head, smiling. "He was something else, let me tell you. And, for the record, it's his fault that the whole rivalry thing started in the first place. He shouldn't have provoked me."

"Uh-oh," Naruto replied, arching his brows. "Do tell. I am all curiosity now."

And so Kakashi did.

* * *

As opposed to being entertaining, Kakashi was a bit disappointed to find that Academy was not all that interesting. It had nothing to do with his sensei: the young man had a very dry sense of humor and often cracked jokes in the middle of lessons. The problem was that Kakashi, being a quick learner, did not need as much time to absorb information and techniques as some of his classmates, which meant that he had to sit through drill after drill with his eyes glazed and mind wandering. At least, when he wasn't amusing himself with Asuma and Obito, that is.

Ryusaki Obito had wandered over to their side of the room a few days after term began, claiming that 'I was bored over there, and you guys look like you'll be fun to sit with.' From that point on, the three of them stuck together like glue, even giving each other nicknames that they used on a regular basis. Kakashi, for a reason unknown, was Max; Asuma, because of an incident involving a freshly mopped floor that he decided to try sliding down and ended up slamming into a wall, earned him the name Crash; and Obito, just because he was Obito, was called Ace. And of course, that left Gai, who they secretly called Harold.

He had not relented since his flamboyant introduction, and did whatever he could to draw attention to himself, determined to be a part of this little group that he saw forming out of Kakashi, Asuma, and Obito. Kakashi had been correct in his assumption that Gai had singled him out in particular, the other boy coming up with a various number of things to do in order to get a reaction out of Kakashi, who, because of his laid-back attitude, did not get angry very easily. Gai, it seemed, was not having that. Most of the time, Kakashi was able to ignore Gai's antics, but there comes a point when even the most placid of people reaches their limit.

Nariaki-sensei had been demonstrating one of the hand seals for the class when Gai came up with the idea to start wadding up paper and tossing it casually at the back of Kakashi's head. Since Kakashi already knew this seal, he sat with the familiar glassy-eyed expression that seemed to show up more and more often as the year progressed, Asuma and Obito looking much the same. He was jolted out of his haze when a wad of paper bounced off his head and landed on the front of the desk. Staring, he raised an eyebrow, but thought nothing more of it until another joined the first. Still, he refused to let it bother him, even when more followed soon after. Obito finally took notice of the paper, and stole a quick sideways glance behind him.

"It's Harold," he whispered, grinning. "What a dork."

Asuma sniggered. "I wonder what he'd do if I chucked a pen at him."

"Do it!" Obito urged.

Kakashi, however, had a different idea. Leaning back so that Gai would be able to hear him, he said in a low voice, "I swear, if you do that again, I'll punch you right in the face." And he meant it. He had been nice long enough and was irritated now.

Gai snorted, not believing that for a second. He let a few minutes pass, and then unleashed another ball of paper.

That was it. Kakashi was no longer irritated, he was PISSED. Jumping up on top of his chair, he slammed his fist home, knocking Gai back against the desk behind him. It took a few seconds for the students who witnessed the spectacle, and even those who didn't, to get over the shock before the laughter started. Asuma and Obito were beside themselves, slapping Kakashi on the back, hooting and hollering. Of course, while Nariaki-sensei was as amused as the next person, he could not allow Kakashi to go unpunished, even though he knew that Kakashi was provoked, and made a show of scolding him in front of the class, having him stand there and concentrate chakra on the leaf that was placed on his forehead for the rest of the day. Kakashi could have cared less, and had to hold back his grin. From that point on, however, Gai considered Kakashi his eternal rival, and swore that he would defeat the silvery haired boy one day, if it was the last thing he ever did.  
  
As the months passed and the school year came to a close, Kakashi was itching to graduate. While he was happy to have met the people he did at the Academy, he was more than ready to become a Genin. The final test was a simple replication, which Kakashi performed with ease, creating four able copies of himself. When the ceremony to present the forehead protectors that were a staple of a shinobi came, Kakashi accepted his with honor, his mother, father, and sister, now able to walk and talk, proudly watching in the audience. He ran to them after it was over, swinging a laughing Asia in his arms and was well hugged by his parents, who showered him with praises and even more hugs.  
  
One step of the journey was over. Another was about to begin.

* * *

"That's when you met Yondaime, isn't it?" Naruto inquired softly. Sakura squeezed her husband's hand, resting her head against his shoulder.  
"Yes," Kakashi replied just as quietly, understanding Naruto's sudden change of countenance. They sat in silence for a while, the only coming from the ticking of a clock that hung on the wall.

* * *

I've always been interested in Yondaime, since we know virtually nothing about him save some of his techniques and that he gave his life to seal the Kyuubi. I've been looking forward to writing him, since I have a pretty good idea of what I think his character is...again, I'll try my hardest to get the next chapter up soon! 


	4. Lessons

Hey guys! I just wanted to take the time to thank you for reviewing! All of you rock! You keep me motivated, which is awesome, because this story is only going to get more difficult as it progresses...yikes. Now we get to meet Yondaime!!! YAY!!! I was aware that he is Naruto's father (but thanks for letting me know anyway, Sano!!) It's so obvious...I mean, they look exactly alike, they summon the same frog, Naruto is mastering his jutsu...and seriously, why would he just pick some random kid to seal the Kyuubi in? Oh Yondaime, your coolness almost ranks up there with Kakashi's...although I am biased, so Kakashi still takes my cake. Anyway, cutting the chatter now...  
  
**

* * *

**

**Chapter 4: Lessons  
**  
Naruto was feeling anxious. Up until now, the events in his former sensei's tale had only applied to Kakashi, but not any more. The only things the Hokage knew about his father were what his legacy as the 4th left behind, things that were common knowledge to those who had lived during Yondaime's time. His father the man, however, remained a mystery. Sakura began running her hand up and down her husband's back, soothing him. In all honesty, she was just as anxious as he. She knew that Naruto had many preconceived notions of what his father was like, and she hoped beyond hope that what they were about to hear would live up to his expectations.

"He was a good man," Kakashi said, breaking the silence. "You'd have made him very proud, Naruto."

The blond Hokage looked down, blinking away the burning sensation in his eyes. Sakura wrapped both arms around him and kissed his cheek, resting her head against his shoulder, close to his ear. "It's okay, sweetheart," she whispered, her level gaze meeting with Kakashi's. She gave him a small smile, and Kakashi smiled back. Naruto had always a bit sensitive, and that aspect of his personality had not changed upon his ascension to his current position of power. _Just like his father_.  
  


* * *

Kakashi woke early on the day he was to be assigned to a three man team and a Jounin master, the excitement that he had felt when he first entered Academy returning with more force and vigor than before. He was now a Genin, the lowest of the low among the ranks of a shinobi, but that would change with time. His metal forehead protector gleamed on the oak desk near his bed, and a grin lit his face as he caught sight of it, though he resisted putting it on until he was cleaned and dressed, two tasks he accomplished in record time. Picking it up almost reverently, he bound it around his head with a tight knot to ensure that it would not fall off, and examined himself in the bathroom mirror.

"_Awesome_," he breathed, "I look like a real shinobi!" He knew that his parents and Asia were up and moving about downstairs, so he flew from the bathroom and raced down the stairs to show them. His father and sister reacted as he expected, with a high five and a shouted 'There's my champ!' from Akinari, a giggled 'Kashi!' from Asia. His mother, however, was a different matter.

"Oh," she began, her hand to her mouth and tears in her eyes. "My baby is growing up." She knelt and pulled him into her arms, sniffling. "You'll be leaving me before I know it! It seems like all I did was blink and you're a Genin!" She held him tighter, and Kakashi's raised an eyebrow at his father.

"Is she okay?" He mouthed silently, and Akinari bit his lip to hold back his laughter.

"She'll be fine," he mouthed back. Asia giggled again.

"Mommy siwwy," she said matter-of-factly, and Kakashi agreed with her. His mother had the tendency to fly off the handle over the strangest things, this being one of them. He hoped that Asia never turned out like that, though if he had anything to say about it, she'd be just as good as any boy. He had already begun to teach her minor things such as punching and kicking, both of which she was quite good at for a one-year-old. She also knew how to bite, a useful skill to have, he thought. He winked at her, and then wormed himself out of Haruko's embrace.

"I don't want to be late, Mama," he explained, and pulled down his mask to kiss her cheek. He waved to his father and hugged his sister, and set off in the direction of the Academy, which was only a few minutes away from his house. He met up with Asuma and Obito along the way, both of whom were just as excited as he.

"I hope we don't get split up," Asuma said as he chomped on another of his customary toothpicks.

"Me too," Obito agreed, and sniggered. "I feel bad for whoever gets stuck with Harold." As if he had heard, 'Harold' promptly appeared out of thin air, and the three boys groaned.

"I hope you all don't set your sights too high, because _I _am going to become a Chuunin before any of you." Gai boasted as he imposed himself upon the boys. He was wearing a tight green jumpsuit complete with bright orange legwarmers, and his forehead protector was tied around his waist like a belt. He flashed teeth in a smirk. "You'll be eating my dust," he said to all, but it was directed mainly to his rival. The thought of Kakashi groveling before him was too precious to bear, and manic laughter escaped him.

Exchanging looks, the trio grinned. "You'll have to catch up to us first, _Harold_," Kakashi yelled over his shoulder as he, Asuma, and Obito took off at a run, caterwauling a rather vulgar song about a certain Green Beast as they went. Gai, his daydream shattered, stared blankly at their retreating backs. _Harold? What the HELL?_ Incensed, he dashed after them, trying to think of clever insults to hurl back, but came up with nothing.  
  


> * * *

Uzumaki Raidon emerged from his conference with the Third, brows raised. The only thing he discovered about his three new students was their names, and that they were younger than most Genins. The Third was in one of his mysterious moods, and he refused to say anything else on the matter.

"He's so helpful," Raidon said to himself as he absently twirled a kunai around his pointer finger. The streets of Konoha were busy as he weaved his way through them, a list that his wife had given him earlier that day of things they needed in hand. She would have run the errands herself, but her duty to ANBU saw her off on an assassination, leaving the task to him. He did not mind, though. It was nice to be out among the villagers and chat with them about their families, among other things. He chortled as a group of boys zipped past him, shouting at the tops of their lungs something about a Green Beast named Harold. Another boy in a green jumpsuit was close on their tail, and Raidon assumed that he must be this Harold character. He thought back on his own childhood, and grinned. He had been a menace at that age.

"At least I know that these youngsters will keep me on my toes," he said, and began to whistle a merry tune as he ambled along.  
  


* * *

Kakashi, Obito, and Asuma sat in their usual seats near the front, waiting in anticipation for their names to be called. Gai sat somewhere behind them, his eyes narrowed, arms crossed over his chest. He already had his team, but it did not include his rival, which irritated him. All his fantasies of making Kakashi look like an idiot on a daily basis were squashed, and he was none too happy about that. _I'll pound him for sure the next time we meet_, Gai thought with fervor.

"Next, Team 7," Nariaki sensei began, "Matsuda Midori, Sarutobi Asuma, and Hatake Kakashi. Your sensei is Uzumaki Raidon."

Kakashi, though ecstatic that he was with Asuma, could not help but feel a pang at losing Obito, who had become one of his best friends. It would not be the same without him.

"Don't sweat it, Max," Obito said, slinging his arms around Kakashi and Asuma who sat on either side of him. Obito's outlook was cheerful. "I'll still be Ace," he looked at Asuma, "and you'll still be Crash. This is just for now. Once we're Chuunins, we won't have teams anymore. And it's not like we won't see each other at all!"

"Team 8. Ryusaki Obito, Hiro Aya, and Ito Keishi, and your sensei is Eda Nariko."

Obito raised his brows. "She's supposed to be really tough. I heard that she doesn't like using weapons because she thinks they hold her back."  
  
Nearby, five-year-old Hiro Aya was eavesdropping on the conversation, and she smiled to herself. She would have preferred to take Midori's place in Team 7 so that she could get closer to the boy with the silvery hair and the mask, but if she was with one of his friends, she could make an impression. Hatake Kakashi interested her in a way that no one ever had, especially for a boy.

"You'll have to tell me what he's like," she whispered to Midori. "I want to know how he fights. Maybe I'll get to spar with him one of these times. Wouldn't that be fun?"

Midori laughed. "I'll tell you everything," she said, and held out her pinkie, which she linked with Aya's. "I promise."

Aya nodded in satisfaction. She knew that Midori would be good to her word, and her mind moved on to other things, such as her new sensei. The fact that Eda Nariko was rumored to be one of the toughest female shinobi that the Leaf ever produced did not gall her, but rather increased her excitement. _Maybe I'll follow in her footsteps_, she thought, her face determined. _I'd like that_.

Two more teams were assigned, and then the meeting was over. The Genins began grouping together with their teammates, adjusting to the idea that they would be with these people for some time coming. A tiny girl with hair that resembled the color of bubblegum introduced herself to Kakashi and Asuma as Matsuda Midori, and the three, after saying goodbye to Obito and his team, began to walk home together. Kakashi found that Midori was likeable enough, though she did not seem to be very aggressive. Hopefully that would change once they started missions. Her friend Aya, now, she was quite another story.

Her long, dark hair she wore tied up in a ponytail with two pieces left out to frame her small, heart shaped face. Her eyes were equally dark, and she carried herself with confidence. Kakashi could tell that she would turn out to be a formidable opponent some day, and he was looking forward to it._ I hope Obito can handle her. He gets wishy washy around girls.  
  
_

* * *

"So, who is this Aya girl?" Sakura asked, her eyes twinkling. "She sounds like one tough cookie."

Kakashi laughed. "That about describes her. Quite the hellion. She didn't hesitate to pound on us for a minute," he said, grinning. "Now that is my type of woman."

Naruto guffawed. "You like 'em rough, do you? I cannot say that I'm surprised."

When Kakashi's only answer was a mischievous smile, Sakura rolled her eyes. "Again, I am sticking to my theory that men are all pigs."

"Hey! I'm not _that_ bad!" Naruto protested. "I save my lecherous tendencies only for you." He waggled his eyebrows at her, and Sakura groaned.

"You are such an ass," she said, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"One tries one's best," Naruto replied piously.

* * *

The next morning dawned bright and sunny, mirroring Kakashi's mood at the moment. Today he would meet his new sensei and his first mission as a Genin would commence. Since he was supposed to be at the tiny forest a few minutes past the more crowded part of the village by 9 o'clock and it was already going on 8:30, he scrambled to get ready and ran out the door after he grabbed the lunch his mother made for him and said a hurried goodbye to the rest of his family. When he arrived, panting, Midori and Asuma were sitting cross-legged on two large, flat rocks that were situated off to the side near the opening of the forest.

"Hey Max!" Asuma waved.

"How long have you been here?" Kakashi wheezed, bracing his hands on his knees.

"Long enough," Midori said, yawning.

"Sorry I'm late!" A new voice called. All three turned their heads. A tall man with very blond, spiky hair strolled towards them, his hands in his pockets. There was something almost impish about him, perhaps stemming from the rosy glow of his cheeks and his sparkling blue eyes. When he got close enough, he leaned up against one of the rocks and beamed. "So you are my trio of prodigies," he said as his gaze swept over each of them. He had mastered the art of hiding his emotions at an early age, and kept his face free of anything but a cheerful expression, even though he was clearly shocked. _I never expected them to be **this** young_. _They're barely more than pups!_ "Well, why don't we have some introductions, mm? Who'd like to go first? Just say your name, and...oh, I don't know...some things you like and dislike, hobbies...that sort of thing."

"Why don't you start, sensei?" Midori suggested.

"Eh? Ah, right. My name is Uzumaki Raidon, but you can call me Rai, if you'd like." He tapped his chin. "Things I enjoy...hmm...I like ramen a whole lot!" That was greeted by laughter. He grinned. "And...let's see..." Raidon scratched his head. "I'm sure you'll get to know me better the more time we spend together, so why don't we just skip me and get to you guys? I'm more interested in you than you are in me, I'll bet."

Of course, that was far from the truth, but there was nothing to be done about that. They weren't about to get anything else out of him now. Asuma took the lead, and spoke. "I'm Sarutobi Asuma. I like to chew on toothpicks, and to wrestle, and all kinds of other great stuff that gets me in trouble. There's not much that I don't like, except for maybe my mother trying to take my toothpicks."

Raidon grinned. "And that is a capital offence, indeed. Who's next? How about the little lady?"

"My name is Matsuda Midori," the girl began. "I like to do things with my best friend Aya, and I love to solve puzzles. My family hunts, so I want to become faster and learn to track better." When she finished, that left one more. Raidon was quite curious about the child who concealed his face behind a mask. He appeared to be the youngest out of the three.

"I'm Hatake Kakashi. I like to goof around with my dogs, and my sister, and my friends, and I want to become a great shinobi so I can help people. I don't like people who brag because they're annoying." He was referring to Gai, and Asuma snickered.

_Interesting_, Raidon thought. Though he knew he shouldn't, he had to ask. "How old are you, son?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. _There it is again. People always ask that!_ He was miffed, but he was not about to show it. "Five," he answered, looking directly at his sensei.

_**Five?**_ _Now that is **more** than inte_resting. _He must be good in order to have gotten this_ _far. But I wonder how good?_ Raidon's hand strayed to the pouch strapped to his side, and his fingers came in contact with the smooth, cold metal of a kunai. From where he was standing, the distance between Kakashi and himself was great enough to get an accurate assessment of the boy's skill. In one fluid motion, he gripped the kunai, drew it out, and threw it. Asuma and Midori gasped, wide-eyed. Without even blinking, Kakashi angled his arm over his face and caught the kunai just as it was about to skim past his left ear. Bringing the arm down, he aimed and tossed the kunai back, embedding it in the ground a few centimeters from Raidon's feet.

"Are you finished doubting me now," Kakashi began in a quiet voice, then added, "_sensei_?"

Raidon looked from the kunai to his student. A tense moment passed between the two, but it ended when Raidon smiled. "I'm sorry to ever have done so in the first place. I know when to be humbled, Hatake Kakashi." He stepped forward and placed a hand on Kakashi's head, ruffling his hair. Midori's mouth hung open, and Asuma grinned proudly.

"Isn't he something?" He said to his female teammate.

"Yeah," she replied in awe. _Aya was right about him. _

"I'm a believer in jumping right into things, so instead of waiting until tomorrow, we're going to get started with our first mission right now," Raidon said after the hubbub died down. Midori and Asuma abandoned the rocks and stood next to Kakashi.

"What are we going to do? Do we get to go and save someone?" Asuma asked in excitement. "Fight off bandits? Kill deserters?"

Raidon laughed out loud. "We get to do better! How about babysitting, or helping the farmers to bring in their harvests, or rescuing lost pets? Doesn't that sound like fun?"

The three children exchanged dark looks. Fun was definitely not the word they would use to describe the missions Rai-sensei rattled off. Boring would be a much more accurate term.

"Why the long faces?" The blond man asked innocently. "I figured you'd all be ecstatic!" The groans he received as a response only made him laugh more. "Oh, I'll stop. I hated missions as a Genin myself, but it's just a part of the chain. Once you work your way up, they'll get better, I promise. Right now, however, I have a special mission for the four of us." His students perked up at the word special, and he managed to hold his laughter in check this time. _They're going to hate me for sure_. "Follow me," he said, and began leading them into the forest, commenting on the flora and fauna as he went. Two birds with brightly colored feathers landed on either of his shoulders and twittered, as if talking to him. What was even stranger, however, was that he acted as if he understood.

They walked a bit farther before the sound of trickling water began to drown out the other noises of the forest, and Raidon halted them. A stream lie before them, the current keeping the water swiftly moving. It did not appear to be that deep, but it was wide, stretching about fifteen feet across. More rocks surrounded it, as well as a few trees, their branches outstretched to form a canopy overhead. The birds on Raidon's shoulders took to the air and settled themselves on one of the branches to observe the humans.

"Beautiful, isn't it? This is the perfect atmosphere, I think," Raidon said as he reached into his side pouch again and produced three leaves. "Your first mission," he handed a leaf to Midori, Asuma, and Kakashi, "is leaf concentration."

There was silence for all of two seconds while the children processed what they were doing, and then the complaints started.

"But...Rai-sensei...we did this at Academy! It's basic!" Midori protested.

"Yeah! Nariaki-sensei made us do it all the time!" Asuma put in. Kakashi wanted to say something, but he kept his mouth shut, turning the leaf over in his hands. His father told him a story once that Konoha got its name from this form of training, and he thought of that as he traced the veins of the leaf with his finger.

"Wonderful! I won't have to explain what do to do then, since you're all experts by now," he said, waving his hand. "Get to it, then. Oh, and there is one rule. If you focus on anything but the leaf, it's back to the Academy you go. Discipline is one of the most important assets a shinobi can have, and if you prove that you can't keep your mind from wandering, then clearly you are not ready to advance any further."

Kakashi looked up sharply. He had not expected that little bomb to be dropped, but he realized that his sensei was not bluffing. The man meant every word he said. Kakashi's level blue eyes met with Raidon's. _I will prove myself to you. I don't want to do this, but I'll do it_ _anyway. You won't be able to get rid of me like this_. It seemed that Asuma and Midori were just as determined, and together, Team 7 placed the leaves on their foreheads and began concentrating chakra on that spot.

_Now the real test begins, my little ducklings_, Raidon thought as he plopped himself on a springy patch of grass near the stream, smiling. He had left a message for his students to come today without eating, and to bring their lunches with them. He had stowed them in his pack before entering the forest, and he pulled them out now with deliberate casualness, glancing sideways at the three Genins before delving into his feast. _How long will you be able to hold_ _back now?_

Kakashi felt his stomach rumble as he forced himself to focus on the leaf, but it was getting harder and harder to do so, especially when he made the unpleasant discovery as to why he was told not to eat anything. He could hear his sensei whistling to himself as he ate his students' lunches, and Kakashi clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He could sense Asuma and Midori nearby doing the same thing, but still, they held on. Kakashi's eyebrow began to twitch dangerously when Raidon began commenting on how good everything tasted in a loud voice meant to be heard by all of them. I_ can't let him beat me! If he thinks he_ _can trip me up by taunting me, then he's wrong!_ Kakashi thought stubbornly. Another loud rumble issued from his stomach, and his concentration broke. He tried to bring it back to the leaf, but he began to think instead. What if this exercise had nothing to do with concentrating at all? At once, something in his brain clicked, and he had it.

"Asuma," he whispered through the side of his mouth, careful not to move his lips more than necessary. "Midori, I think we should gang up and take him out. If we come at him from three different directions, we might have a chance."

"But...you heard what he said," Midori whispered back. "We'll get chucked back to Academy!"

"I don't care anymore," Asuma said, eyes filled with understanding meeting with Kakashi's. "I say we do it."

Kakashi smiled, and nodded. "Midori, you take the right, Asuma, go left, and I'll take center. Distract him, got it?"

Asuma winked, and Midori, after a few seconds of contemplation, grinned. "Let's do this." Raidon had progressed to sending tiny, flat stones skimming across the stream, having eaten more than he could handle. A kunai zipped past his head from the right, and another followed on the left. His eyes darted in one direction and then the other, and he caught sight of two blurs that disappeared behind the cover of the trees. _So they figured it out. Very good_. He rose in a half-crouch. Midori, seeing an opening, began to pelt shuriken in a rapid succession, her aim dead on. The shuriken found their target, and Raidon went down. Midori uttered a silent scream, but nearly kicked herself when she heard a pop, and a log riddled with shuriken appeared where her sensei's body should have been.

"Kawarimi," she muttered, disgusted, before dropping to the ground like a cat, dodging a kunai. Where had that come from? She spun, and unleashed more of her kunai, which were joined by Asuma's. The two began to run, branching off on either side when they were close enough to Raidon, who held a kunai in both hands, prepared to fight them off. He had not accounted for Kakashi, however. Akinari had taught him how to increase his speed and to advance upon an enemy without making a sound, and as quick as lightning, Kakashi appeared from his hiding spot behind the trees and dropped, shooting out a leg to throw his sensei off balance. Raidon stumbled, and Kakashi, before the Jounin had a chance to use Kawarimi again, barreled into him, knocking them both to the ground. He held a kunai to Raidon's throat.

"That was fun!" Kakashi said happily, his eyes alight. He removed the kunai, and stuck it back in his pouch. "I was right, wasn't I? We were supposed to attack you together, weren't we?"

"Yes," Raidon replied, grinning. He sat up, and motioned for the others to gather round. "This exercise was meant to promote teamwork. I wanted to see how long it would take you to realize that, and I am not disappointed. I can see why the Academy speaks so fondly of you all." He looked at each face. "I'm proud of every one of you."

Kakashi returned home glowing. He told his family all about his new sensei in great detail, illustrating the battle using props that he found around the house. His parents couldn't be more pleased. They knew that their son was destined for great things, and he was well on his way to becoming an honorable shinobi.

The missions after that day were rather dull, but Rai-sensei always made them entertaining by telling stories of his own childhood endeavors, complete with different voices for all the colorful characters. Kakashi was surprised to see just how many people his sensei knew: it seemed that everywhere they went, they were hailed with greetings.Rai-sensei also imparted many bits of wisdom to his students during the year that they spent under his tutelage, lessons that he took to heart as he did his father's.

"Never attack in anger," Raidon said one lazy night after target practice with throwing weapons. "That is a surefire way to get yourself and those under you killed. You must always stay calm, and think about what you are about to do before you do it. If you are angry, you lose track of what your purpose is."

"What if someone is chucking paper wads at your head?" Asuma asked, and Kakashi snorted. He'd told Rai-sensei about Gai a while ago.

"That's an entirely different story." Raidon replied, winking.  
  
He continued to harp on his students the importance of chakra control, introducing them to two new methods of honing it besides the leaves: water walking and tree climbing, both of which required a concentrated amount of chakra in the feet. These were much harder to accomplish than leaf concentration, but Team 7 pursued the exercises doggedly until they could do them at will. Soon after Kakashi's sixth birthday, Raidon called his team together for one final mission as Genins.

"I have submitted your names to the Hokage for the Chuunin Selection Exam," he said somberly. "I have nothing left to teach you, and I know that you are more than ready for it." He handed each of them a little piece of paper that stated their names, the time of the exam, Raidon's signature, and beneath it, the signature of the Hokage. "This does not obligate you to take it, and I will not force you. The exam is in one week, so you'll have some time to think about what you want to do. Just remember that I have faith in your talents, and that I am proud of you."

Kakashi stared at the paper in his hands, a fire beginning to burn somewhere inside of him. He was ready for this, and he would face this new challenge without fear.

* * *

"Wow," Naruto said when Kakashi finished. He had a smile on his face. "I'm impressed."

Kakashi grinned back. "So what do you think of your father? Is he what you expected?"

"More," Naruto replied, his expression thoughtful. "I can actually picture him now, and I'm glad. It's nice not to be in the dark anymore."

Sakura mentally rejoiced. She was relieved that Naruto's reaction was positive. _He and_ _his father sound so alike_, she thought with a smile. _I can see where Naruto gets a lot of his_ _mannerisms from. Uzumaki Raidon...if only you could see your son now. He's a shining star, just like you were.  
_

* * *

WOO! That took FOREVER. I was looking up names, and I found that Raidon means Thunder God, which I thought was really neat, so that is why I chose the name for Yondaime. Up next is the Chuunin exam! ::looks at notes scattered everywhere:: I shall try to sort this mess up and get the next chappie up ASAP!


	5. Chuunin

OI!!! I'm so sorry for the delay, guys! This summer has been insane, major. Plus, I had to re-watch the JumpFesta 2003 episode, which was the inspiration for this chapter, since it's all about the place where Kakashi's Chuunin exam was (cute episode, see it if you haven't already). Oh, and just so y'all know, I wrote a prologue to this story called Fly, about Naruto and Sakura, but, oh, someone decided to report me because it was too 'graphic' or some such crap, so my account got locked up, and it just now became functional again. I posted Fly on , so if you'd like to read it, check it out there! Alrighty, that said, I shall shut up and let Kakashi do his stuff!  
  
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* * *

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**Chapter 5: Chuunin  
**

* * *

"So you took the Chuunin exam at Akagahara, right? I remember you saying that a while ago," Naruto said after a few moments of silence.

"Mm-hm. That was one hell of an exam, let me tell you. Most of my year-mates failed, and I came pretty close to failing myself. If it hadn't been for Midori..." Kakashi trailed off, his eyes focused on Chief.

"What happened?" Sakura inquired gently, fearing the worst.

"Lots of things," Kakashi replied, looking up from the dog. "But I'll get to that later. I may as well start at the beginning instead of jumping around all over the place."

"Good idea," said Naruto, relieved. "I'm still not great at keeping stories straight unless they're told in order."

Kakashi grinned. "That's all the incentive I need, then. I shudder to think of how garbled your account of my life would be if I confused you."

"Gee, thanks. You're swell," Naruto said, his voice dripping sarcasm.  
  
"I know."

* * *

It did not take any of the members of Team 7 very long to decide that they were indeed going to take the Chuunin exam. For the most part, once the registration papers were in their hands, there was no turning back. Akinari and Haruko were both ecstatic that Kakashi was chosen to participate at such a young age, and spent quite a bit of time talking about their own exams during the week-long grace period before their son's. When he wasn't listening to his parents' stories, Kakashi taught a two-year- old Asia how to throw shuriken. It only took her three days to hit the dot he painted on a tree in their yard, and Kakashi could not have been more pleased with her progress. She was shaping up to be just as quick a learner as her brother, and Kakashi knew that his mother was planning to begin teaching Asia on the katana soon. If she had done this well with shuriken, Kakashi was more than excited to see how Asia would handle a sword.

Also during that week, Ace, Crash, and Max were reunited again. Nothing about their friendship had changed, and it seemed that the conversation picked up right where it left off at the Academy on the day teams were assigned.

"Nariko-sensei, now _she _was a doozy," Obito said as the boys walked aimlessly through town. It was Friday, and the exams were only two days away. "The rumors are all true. She doesn't use weapons, ever, and she's _fast_! Aya thinks she's the greatest thing on two legs." Obito looked pointedly at Kakashi and grinned. "Watch your back, Max. Aya's got a thing for you."

Asuma started sniggering, almost choking on his toothpick. Kakashi raised his eyebrows. "Huh? A _thing_? What kind of thing?"

"She talks about you all the time," Obito replied, his grin growing wider. "She keeps saying that she wants to kick the snot out of you because you're one of the strongest kids in our year." Obito raised his voice in an imitation of Aya. "I think it would be _so _fun to fight him, don't you? Oh, Kakashi has _such_ good form. Do you think I could beat him? I'd like to try. Kakashi this, Kakashi that, oh he is just incredible!"

Asuma actually had to take the toothpick from is mouth, because he was laughing too hard to keep track of it. Kakashi, on the other hand, was quite puzzled. Why would Aya say such things if they'd only met once? And how on earth would she know what kind of fighter he was? Asuma's laughter was contagious, though, and Kakashi could not help but laugh along with him.

"Girls are goofy," Kakashi said when he could talk again. "I don't get 'em. How does she know all this stuff about me?"

Asuma and Obito exchanged a look, and it was Asuma who answered this time. "I think you have Midori to thank for that."

That was the last thing Kakashi expected by way of explanation. "Midori? But...she..." he paused to think. _Wait, didn't Midori say that she and Aya were best friends when we met Rai-sensei?_ "MIDORI'S BEEN SNITCHING!" Kakashi burst out, waving his hands in the air, an act that was punctuated by more snickering from his friends. "That's...that's...holy crap! What has she been telling her? What does...oh bother. I don't even care. She's gonna think what she's gonna think, and there's nothing I can do about it. I guess I'm gonna _have_ to fight Aya now."

"Who's fighting who?"

Judging from the haughty tone to that voice, it could only belong to Gai. Kakashi smacked his forehead and swore, while Obito and Asuma made faces.

"What do you want, Harold?" Asuma pulled a fresh toothpick from his pocket and chewed on it. "Go away."

"No, I don't think I will." Gai said, and came over to the group, slinging an arm around Kakashi's shoulders and showing teeth in a smile. "Not until I hear who the old man is fighting."

Kakashi snorted. "Ouch, it stings. I think I'm going to go cry about that for the rest of my life." The silvery haired boy yanked down his mask and grinned wickedly. "If you must know, I've got a girl after me, thick- brows."

_WHAT? WHAT? How could that stupid, ugly **idiot** get a girl before me? I'm **so **much_ _better looking! And he's **my **rival! How dare anyone else **think** of pounding him before I do?_

"HAH! Like I'm gonna believe that! You're just trying to weasel out of our rivalry!"

Asuma and Obito were guffawing loudly by that point, and Kakashi wanted to, though, by some miracle, he was able to control the urge. "Why would I do that? She'll be at the exam. You can ask her yourself."

"Does she have a name?" Gai asked drly. "Or is she just someone you made up?"  
  
"Hiro Aya," Obito put in. "She's on my team."

At the sound of the name, Gai blanched. He'd heard things about Hiro Aya, and she was the type of person he preferred to stay away from. _Damn it! Now I've just dug myself into a_ _hole. There's no way I'm messing with Hiro Aya! She's a menace!_ "Well, I've got more training to do so I can crush you all in the exam. I hope you're ready, because there's gonna be no mercy!" Before he could embarrass himself further, Gai took off in the other direction, walking as fast as he could manage it without actually running. He still had his dignity.

"Well, that answers that," Asuma said. "Even Gai doesn't want to fool around with Aya."

Kakashi tugged his mask back to its proper position. "I guess that's why she picked me to have a thing for and not him," he said wryly, to laughter. "Oh well. I'll deal with Aya when the time comes. Right now, I feel like getting into trouble." Kakashi looked around for something suitable, and found a nice, large puddle of mud nearby, the result of a storm the night before. He always did like mud. Asuma and Obito followed his gaze, and they grinned.

"Who knows when we'll get to do this again?" Asuma said, inching closer to the mud.

"Exactly," Obito replied, following Asuma. "I mean, with the exam and all, you know." He reached down and there was a squelching noise as his fingers hit the mud.

"That's what I was thinking," Kakashi managed to say before mud spattered all over his face. Of course, an all out battle ensued, and quite a bit of trouble was got into, as was the plan.

* * *

"I knew it!" Sakura declared, triumphant. "I _knew_ that something was going to happen with Aya!" She smiled, her eyes twinkling.

Kakashi smiled his own mysterious smile. "Perhaps."

"Perhaps? Bull! You two end up falling in love, I bet my life on it." Sakura stated matter-of-factly.

"Really? How interesting. Please, go on. I'm riveted."

Naruto raised his hand to cover a fake yawn, concealing silent laughter. Sakura's face went red.

"Kakashi! You do! I know it!" She crossed her arms over her chest, glaring. "Oh, fine. I get it. I'll shut up."

"Are you sure?"

Another glare. "Yes."

"This is your last chance."

"WOULD YOU TELL THE STORY?"

Naruto could not hide his laughter any longer.

"I hate both of you." Sakura said, and that was the end of that.

* * *

The myths surrounding the infamous Akagahara forest were began by the various ninja who took the Chuunin exam there, and as they were passed from generation to generation, they became quite distorted and embellished, which only added to the fear surrounding the mere mention of the name. The most common story claimed that one year, twenty-four hopefuls entered the forest, and none of them ever came out. There was also legend surrounding a crimson four-leaf-clover said to grant the wish of whoever found it, and the only place that one such clover grew was in Akagahara. Over the years, many ninja came to seek glory and procure a clover for themselves, and most, as the stories proclaimed, met their ends in that place. Kakashi knew all of the stories by heart, and even though he believed them to be rubbish, he could not help but be anxious on Monday morning as he walked to the forest with Midori, having met up with her on his way.

"Do you think they're true?" Midori asked, biting one of her nails, without realizing it, down to the quick. "All those stories, I mean?"  
  
"Nah," Kakashi replied confidently, though he felt quite the opposite. He knew that Midori needed encouragement, and showing any inklings of nervousness would not help to boost her spirits. "You'll have Asuma and I at your back if things get rough, anyway, so don't worry about it. We're gonna get through this, you'll see. There're plenty of Chuunins who took the test here, and they obviously didn't die."

"Yeah," Midori said, taking her finger away from her mouth. Kakashi's words  
made a lot of sense. "You're right. I just...I don't want to hold either of you back." She looked down. "I'm afraid I'll mess up."

"Shut up," Kakashi said, and wrapped an arm around Midori's head as he would one of the boys. "That's crap, and you know it. Everyone messes up, but all you have to do is get up and keep going. I know you can do _that_."

Midori smiled, grateful to know that one of her teammates believed in her, though she had a feeling Asuma would say the same thing if he were with them. "I can," she agreed. With more force, she added, "And I will."

Kakashi nodded, grinning. He was silent for a minute, but soon his curiosity won out. "So, Aya's been asking about me, eh?"

The tiny girl's eyes widened a fraction of an inch. She'd been feeding information to Aya throughout the year without Kakashi being any the wiser, but it seemed that she'd finally been found out. "Er..."

"Uh-huh," Kakashi said, looking at Midori through lidded eyes. "Sneak."

_ Crap_. "Er...well...I didn't say anything crazy, I promise!"

"Oh, so she wants to squash me like a bug for no reason."

"NO! I mean...well..." Kakashi continued to look at her the same way, and she faltered. "Okay, so maybe I kinda sorta told her about some of your techniques, but nothing else! Well, not much else..."

"Great," Kakashi said dryly. "That's just great, Midori. Now I've got two wackos on my tail." He sighed. "How fun for me."

Midori could not think of anything to say in response, though she did not have to, as they had reached Akagahara. Quite a few Genins lingered near the gate already, Asuma being one of them, and more were trailing in. When Asuma, yelled to them, Kakashi and Midori made their way over.

"Oh man, I am so ready to just bust in there and rip the place up," Asuma stated, gnawing viciously on his toothpick and tapping a foot in impatience. "This waiting junk is killing me."

"I thought I taught you patience, whipper-snapper," a cheerful voice chided, and a hand ruffled Asuma's hair. Raidon grinned. "Apparently the lesson didn't stick."

"Rai-sensei!" Asuma exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I woke up this morning and decided to take a stroll down the path of life, and it happened to lead me here. Fancy that." All three members of Team 7 groaned at the joke.

"Whatever," Midori said, crossing her arms over her chest. "You've got a reason."

"Extraordinary. Nothing gets past you, little lady." Raidon quipped, his blue eyes twinkling. "Actually, I wanted to make sure that you were all here, because if even one of you had backed out, none of you would be able to take the exam." Kakashi, Asuma, and Midori exchanged startled looks. "However, since my gaggle of ducklings decided to stay together, that isn't an issue, now is it?"

Kakashi, after the initial shock wore off, shook his head, laughing. "You're so weird."

"Thank you," Raidon replied with a theatric bow. "Now scat. I'll be here when you come back through that gate." His smile lit up his entire face. "And I'm sure I've told you guys countless times that I'm proud of you, but I have a selective memory, so who knows?" That earned him laughs. "Eh, you know I'm proud. Go raise some hell."

After assuring Raidon that they would indeed be doing some major hell- raising, Team 7 joined the throng that was beginning to cluster around an imposing man who wore his forehead protector like a head scarf. Midori spotted Aya and waved to her. The dark haired girl waved back, and nudged her teammates so that they would make room. Amidst the chatter and joking that ensued when the two teams came together, Aya's eyes met with Kakashi's. The girl's tiny mouth quirked up and Kakashi felt a strange stirring in the pit of his stomach. It was a feeling he had never experienced before, and it made him nervous. He swallowed hard.

"Good luck, Hatake," Aya said, not shifting her gaze. The corners of her eyes crinkled. "If you die before I get to fight you, I'll be mad." That caught Kakashi off guard, and he did not know how to reply. Of course, Gai picked that moment to saunter in and start the trash-talking, and Kakashi found that for once, he was actually happy to see him.

"Are you ready, old man?" Gai asked, one hand on his hip. With his other hand, he pointed at Kakashi. "Because there is gonna be pain, I promise."

Kakashi would have shot something sarcastic back at him, but Aya beat him to it.

"From who? You? I've seen the way you fight, Maito Gai. You're too flashy. Maybe if you got serious and stopped trying to show off, you'd pose a threat."

Kakashi was grateful that his mask muffled laughter. Asuma and Obito had paused in their conversation long enough to hear what was going on, and they started sniggering. Gai's mouth opened and closed a few times, his face flushing.

_ Flashy? I am not flashy! I've got style! That's more than these idiots can say!_ He glared at Aya. "We'll see about that when we get in there, harpy." With that, he turned his heel and rejoined his teammates, eager to get as far away as possible after his act of bravado. In truth, Aya terrified him, and insulting her was a stupid move. _But she deserved it, the brat. Feh.  
_

"So he's your rival? What a pain in the ass." Aya said, grinning.

"Quiet down you lot." The intimidating man's voice boomed, and complete silence followed. The man crossed his arms and his eyes scanned the assembled Genins before him. "All of you have come here with the desire to become Chuunin, but only a select few will be able to attain that rank. I can assure you that out of the thirty people here, not even a quarter will pass. Akagahara is known as 'the Breaker,' and it will break you if you wish to fool around." The man paused, giving the Genins time to process his words. "You have two days to complete the exam. There will be a designated spot on the other end of the forest; go to that place once you have procured a clover. It will be determined there whether you pass or fail." The man's sharp eyes fell on Kakashi. "It is true that only teams of three are permitted take the Chuunin Selection Exam, but once you pass through those gates, that rule is no longer relevant. I will say no more. The clock starts now. Go."

There was nothing anyone could do but obey the man, who did not even bother to give his name. Kakashi had a lot to think about when he took his first step upon the soil of Akagahara, particularly the meaning behind the ominous statement at the end of the examiner's speech. _Are we supposed to chuck aside our teammates and only think of ourselves? That doesn't make sense! We were in teams as Genins to promote working with others, right? Something else is going on here. There has to be a deeper meaning. I just need to figure out what it is before it's too late.  
_  


* * *

"That was a bit harsh, don't you think?" Raidon said to his colleague once the Genins entered Akagahara. He grinned. "You certainly scared 'em all."

Morino Seto looked at Raidon out of the corner of his eyes, and he smiled back. "I suppose I could have elaborated more, but I didn't want to make things too easy. Besides, the only ones who are worthy to become Chuunin are those who can see beneath the surface. Most of those kids think that the only way to pass is to get a clover because they can't think for themselves."

"That bit about ditching your teammates was a nice touch," Raidon complimented. "The psychological battlefield is often more dangerous than the physical one. Many ninja have gotten killed because they didn't take that into account."

Seto nodded, his face unreadable. He started walking towards the gate, and looked back over his shoulder. "Are you coming?"

"Of course," Raidon replied, and joined the other Jounin.

* * *

"Woah. That examiner reminds me of the man who gave out the written tests the first time we tried for Chuunin, doesn't he? What was his name...I can't remember it." Naruto said, scratching his head.

"Morino Ibiki," Sakura supplied. "And you're right. They do sound a lot alike."

"That's because Ibiki's father was the one who tested me." Kakashi said, smiling at the memory. "A certain type of attitude usually runs in families."

"Well that explains everything," Naruto said, leaning back against the couch. "Morino Ibiki scared the crap out of me. Still, that was clever of his father. I wouldn't have been able to handle a test like that."

Sakura grinned. "You always were a bit of a hothead. _I _am the one with the brains." Naruto stuck his tongue out at her, and she laughed. "Even so, for a six-year-old, that's a lot of information to handle."

Kakashi raised his brows, nodding. "You guys have been through Akagahara, so you know how it's set up. All those blasted traps everywhere. I'll admit that I was so absorbed in trying to crack the purpose of the exam that I set off quite a few myself. I always was able to dodge at the last second, but only because Asuma or Midori yelled for me to get out of the way. I remember when we were halfway through, I almost blew myself up when I stepped on a mine. That was fun."

"What about the other teams? Did you run into any of them? We had to get those scrolls for ours, so we got into tussles with others over them. It doesn't seem like you'd get much chance to focus on anything but your own behinds in a place like that." Sakura said thoughtfully, images of Akagahara playing through her mind. When they were still Team 7 under Kakashi, Naruto did a favor to Konohamaru and entered the forest in order to get a clover, and Sakura and Saskue had had to go in after him to get him out. There were traps set up at every turn.

"My exam was quite different from yours," Kakashi confirmed. Chief shifted his position and moved to Kakashi's other side, and the silvery haired Jounin picked up an arm to let the dog worm his way under. "The traps kept everyone busy, and I didn't really interact with anyone besides Asuma or Midori until the exam was over. But it was meant to be that way. The battle was inside of ourselves, mostly, not with other people. We had to decide what was more important, following the code that had been set when we became teams, to look out for our comrades, or to pursue our own interests, as Morino Seto suggested. That was the reason the test was so dangerous, and why so many people failed. Midori is the one who saved me. If things had not happened the way that they did, I would not have passed."

* * *

By the time Kakashi, Asuma, and Midori reached the clearing where the crimson clovers grew, the sun had already set, and it was getting dark. His more sensible half told Kakashi that now would be a good time to make camp and wait for morning; it would be easier to find a four-leaf clover when there was light, but the other half, the reckless half, said to get it over with now, when no one else was here. The others could arrive at any time, and it would make things more difficult. But, if they were to search now, they could find the clovers and be at the finish zone before daybreak without having to worry about running into anyone else. Asuma was already beginning to scour the field for any sign of a clover with four leaves. The dark haired boy felt the same as Kakashi, and he was not about to let a chance like this pass him by. The only one who hesitated was Midori.

"This seems too easy," Midori said, biting a nail, a nervous habit. "There has to be a trap around somewhere, and since it's dark, we're more likely to set it off." Even though she knew it wasn't a good idea, she waded into the mass of clovers and used her trained eyes to scour the field. Reaching into her belt pouch, she removed a portable flashlight and switched it on. The beam of light illuminated the clovers a few inches from her feet. "Be careful, okay? I don't like this."

"Oh, don't be such a worrywart," Asuma said absently as he crawled on his hands and knees. "Damn it! Where the hell are the freaking things hiding? All of these are three-leaved!"

Kakashi squinted, and pulled out his own flashlight. There was a strange looking statue in the center of the field that he hadn't noticed before, and he wanted to check it out. When he reached it, he crouched down and ran his hands along the surface, searching for a catch or a switch somewhere that would release a trap. He found nothing, and so moved lower. There was a small, hollow opening at the bottom, and he went down on all fours, turning his head to the side and resting it on the ground to peer through. There was a patch of clovers beneath the statue, and, by the glow of the flashlight, he made out four leaves on each.

"Guys! I found them!" Kakashi whispered loudly as he tried to reach through the opening. His hand only went in so far, which was a problem. The clovers were clustered further back, and the only way he could get to them was if the statue was lifted. However, he thought of Midori's words then. This _did_ seem too easy. Moving the statue would mean clovers, yes, but it could also lead to something bad. There was evidence enough of that by the amount of kunai, shuriken, and exploded mines that littered the thicker part of the forest behind them. But what else was left? What other trap could be as bad as the ones they'd already gotten through?

"Are they under that thing?" Asuma whispered when he and Midori were near enough.

"Yeah, but I can't reach 'em."

Asuma shrugged. "I'll bet we can move it enough to let you grab some."

Midori chewed her lip. "I don't know...I guess if we only lift it an inch or two, it shouldn't hurt, but then we need to put it right back. I have a bad feeling about this, though."

In his heart, Kakashi agreed with her. He did not like this situation any more than she, but he could not bring himself to turn away when the clovers were so close. "We can do this. It'll take a couple seconds, and it'll be over."

Asuma went around to one side of the statue, and Midori, sighing, stayed where she was. Together, she and Asuma gripped the statue and tilted it back. There was a slight click that was barely audible if one was not listening for it, but all three heard it just the same. His heart pounding, Kakashi plucked three clovers from the patch and backed out, just in time to witness the puppets that sprang from the ground. The statue toppled over on its side when Asuma and Midori dropped into fighting stance, kunai ready in their hands. Kakashi rolled and jumped to his feet, managing to stuff the clovers in his pouch before a dozen darts whipped past his head.

The army of puppets began their attack without hesitation, spewing poison darts from their mouths, flinging kunai in all directions, punching, kicking. Midori, Asuma, and Kakashi squared off against them, doing their best to hold them off. Asuma had received a pair of iron knuckles for his birthday this past year, and he used them with deadly efficiency, jamming the razor-sharp ends into joints that held the puppets together, smashing them into heads. Kakashi used his speed to take down a few at a time, and Midori fought next to him. The puppets were easily dispatched, but that was not the main concern. Team 7 was outnumbered. For every two puppets that went down, another four burrowed out of the earth and took their places. The longer the children fought, the more tired they became, and it did not help that it was getting darker as the night progressed.

"How do we stop them?" Kakashi yelled as he scissored a leg up and out, catching a puppet in the chest. He turned and rammed another one with his fist. "They just keep coming!"

A wooden arm swung and passed through the air where Midori's head had been a breath earlier. She was panting when she gripped a kunai and planted it through the puppet's foot, holding it in place. "I'm working on it," she said as she aimed a kick at the puppet's head. "Give me a minute."

"We don't have a minute!" Asuma called from his side of the patch. Six crumpled puppets lay at his feet, and he was fighting off a seventh.

"I got it!" Midori exclaimed. "It's the statue! The puppets came when we moved it, so all we need to do is put it back!" She made to move towards the statue, not seeing the puppet that had snuck up on her until she had speared herself upon its short-sword. She looked down at her chest in disbelief before losing consciousness and sliding from the sword to the ground.

"Midori!" Kakashi cried. He looked from his teammate to the puppet, and in one smooth action, knocked the puppet's wooden head from its body. "Asuma! Watch her! I'm going to get the statue!" There was no time to waste. He had to stop the puppets so that they could get Midori to a doctor. If she's still alive, the cynical part of Kakashi thought, and he immediately shook that aside. No, she has to be! I won't let her die!

The statue was much heavier than he imagined it would be, but fear for Midori was driving him, giving him an extra surge of strength that he would not have had otherwise. His energy was sapped by that point. The statue fell back into place with a thud, and one by one, the puppets clattered to the ground, lifeless. Kakashi ran back to the spot where Midori lie, cradled in Asuma's arms. Her face looked like wax, and she was bleeding sluggishly, but she was still alive. Kakashi reached for his pouch to retrieve bandages, but his hand encountered nothing. The pouch was gone. He looked around, panicked, and saw it a few feet away, torn up and mangled, the contents spilled all over.

"I'll be right back," he said to Asuma and went to retrieve the pouch. His heart sank. The three clovers that they had risked their lives for had been smashed to tiny little bits. He gathered up the rest of his pouch and rejoined Asuma and the unconscious Midori, feeling sick.

"It's over."

Asuma gave him a calm look. "The clovers were trashed, huh?"

"Yeah."

The boys were silent for a while, and Kakashi reached out and took Midori's hand. It was cold and clammy to the touch. Her breathing was shallow. Out of nowhere, he could feel rage begin to sear through his heart.

"What is the point to all of this?" He spat. "Who cares about some stupid clover? This whole exam is stupid!" As gently as he could, Kakashi took Midori into his arms and got up. "They can fail me if they want to, I don't really care, but I'm getting Midori out of here. She's dying." His eyes met with Asuma's, and he smiled shakily. "I'm still a kid. There's plenty of time to retake the exam, anyway. I'll understand if you don't want to come with me, though."

Asuma raised an eyebrow as he, too, got to his feet. "Quit with the crap, Max. We started this together, and we're going to end it together. I don't mind waiting a couple more years." He grinned, swaying a bit from exhaustion. "Besides, I'm totally whipped. I'd only flop around like a fish if I stayed out here."

"I had a feeling you'd say that." Kakashi replied.

* * *

The trip to the end point passed in a haze, and Kakashi did not remember much once he relinquished Midori to one of the Jounins there. He had been led to a makeshift shelter with cots and fell into one, asleep before his head hit the pillow. At one point he'd been woken and fed something, he knew, but that was about it. The next morning, Kakashi came into wakefulness to the sound of voices near his cot, and when he opened his eyes, a face hovered directly in front of him.

"Kashi!" Asia shrieked, and wrapped her tiny arms around him. "I was scared!"

"Asia?" Kakashi was a bit startled, but he hugged his sister back just the same. "What are you doing here, baby girl?"

"She came with us," Haruko said, sitting on the edge of the cot and stroking Kakashi's matted hair away from his forehead. "How're you feeling?"

"Tired," Kakashi replied, and tried to sit up, but Akinari helped him. Kakashi smiled at his father, but his expression changed when he remembered Midori. "Where's Midori? Is she okay? We weren't too late, were we?"

"No," Akinari said. "She's in surgery right now, but the doctors say she should be able to recover. If you had waited, she wouldn't have had a chance."

Kakashi sighed in relief. "Good. What about Asuma?"

"Right here," Asuma said, and plopped himself on the other side of the bed next to Asia. The little girl knew her brother's friends, and she insisted that Asuma hold her in his lap, which he did. The next to enter the room was the Hokage himself, followed by Raidon and Morino Seto. Kakashi and Asuma exchanged puzzled looks.

"Well you're awake!" Sandaime said, grinning. "You've had a rough night, it seems."

"He's observant," Asuma muttered, and Raidon could not help but laugh.

"Don't mind my students, Hokage. They are not particular about showing respect."

Sandaime raised his brows. "Reminds me of another youth I once knew," he said, his eyes twinkling. "Anyway, I don't want to keep you in suspense boys, so I'll say this now. Hatake Kakashi, Sarutobi Asuma, I have heard a full account of your conduct during the Chuunin Selection Exam, and as you have both returned unharmed, I hereby promote you to the level of Chuunin. Congratulations." Without further explaination, Sandaime inclined his head and exited, leaving Raidon and Seto behind.

Kakashi and Asuma stared, their eyes wide.

"What the HELL was that?" Asuma finally burst out. "We're Chuunin because we weren't HARMED? Are you JOKING me? And how does he know how we behaved? No one was watching us!"

"I have observers concealed at various places in Akagahara," Seto answered the last inquiry, "So someone did see." He smiled. "And you are Chuunin because you passed the test. It would have been easy for both of you to abandon your teammate and get the clovers for yourselves, but you brought Midori back here instead. You thought of others instead of yourselves, and that is what we need in a Chuunin. There will be people under your command, and you have to know when to advance and when to retreat. You have proven you can do that, and so you are promoted. You will receive your vests in a few days, so until then, relax." With a curt nod, the large man took his leave.

"Has anyone else been made Chuunin?" Kakashi asked, still in shock over his new title.

"Hiro Aya and Ryusaki Obito," Raidon said. "The test is still going on, but there are only a few still out there. But those two are the only others to pass that I know of."

"Oh," Kakashi said absently. "Wait, what about Gai?"

Raidon tapped his chin. "That rascal got himself all cut up. He didn't use his head, I'm afraid." The blond smile wickedly. "And he's going to be fired up at you for beating him again, Kakashi."

"Wonderful," Kakashi said dryly. "Just what I need."

* * *

"Oh wow," Sakura breathed. "I can see why you said Midori was the reason you passed." She looked down. "How horrible, though. _Did_ she ever recover?"

"Yes...and no. That exam changed her in ways that could not be reversed. It changed all of us, really. I had to take a good look at myself and where I was going, you know? If Midori hadn't been hurt, I probably would have tried for a clover again, and that knowledge made me sick." He sighed. "But I needed to learn that lesson...even if I forgot it when things started to fall apart."

* * *

This chapter was a pain in the you know what to write. I kept going back and changing things because I didn't like how it sounded. Ugh. There will be more about the after-effects of the exam in the next chapter, as well as the introduction of Pakkun! Yay! I know that this exam is different from the one Naruto had to take, but I'm thinking that the exam of the present evolved from this one, you know what I mean? And be on the lookout for Aya, because she is definitley going to have a much larger role in the future ::grins:: As always, I value your opinions, so drop me a review!


	6. Aftermath

GACK!! I'm so sorry for taking so long with this, guys!! ::dodges flying food items:: I just have this problem with starting new stories when I'm in the middle of an old one, and, well…yeah. Ugh. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! And I offer my most sincere thanks to all who review…I appreciate every single one! ::grins::

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* * *

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**Chapter 6: Aftermath**

* * *

"I have a feeling that this story is going to start getting very depressing soon," Naruto said gloomily. "I hate the kind of stuff that makes my heart feel all squeezed."

Kakashi snorted. "Why don't you try living through it? That's even **more** fun." He waved his hand. "But I'm not one to feel sorry for myself, so whatever. Don't worry just yet, Naruto. The unpleasant stuff's coming, but not right now." Kakashi held his chin, a reminiscent smile on his chiseled face.

Sakura, ever the impatient soul, raised an eyebrow and gave Kakashi a significant look. "Well? Get on with it, then! You were the one complaining before about me interrupting you, but now you're interrupting yourself!"

"Being as that I'm the one **telling** the story, I can't possibly interrupt myself," Kakashi retorted.

"Where did you come up with that bit of nonsense? Of course you can!" The pink-haired girl shot back.

"It isn't nonsense, Sakura. It's logic."

"Logic? You are so full of it!"

"Full of what, might I ask?"

Naruto watched his wife and former sensei fling words back and forth at each other, dazed. Their replies became more and more far fetched the longer the discourse went on, and it finally got to the point where he stopped trying to understand what they were saying.

"Oh fine, fine, we aren't getting anywhere with this, so we'll just have to agree to disagree," Sakura conceded after a few minutes of heated discussion. She looked over and noticed that her husband's eyes were glazed, and she laughed. "Poor thing, this was too much for him."

"It was a bit overdone for me, as well," Kakashi said, grinning. "Though I guess I shouldn't have expected anything less from you, my dear. May I continue now?"

_One of these days I'm going to kill him. _"Do you need my permission?" Sakura asked icily.

"Of course not. I was just appeasing your ego."

"Bad move," Naruto said as Sakura proceeded to wallop Kakashi with a pillow she grabbed off the couch.

"Thanks, I can see that," came Kakashi's muffled voice. "_Women_."

* * *

Kakashi and Asuma sat next to Midori's bed on two plush chairs that were arranged side by side. The surgery had been successful, much to the relief of everyone who knew her, though it was a very close thing. The long, jagged scar that tracked across her chest Midori would have forever, and she would always view it as a constant reminder of her failure in the Exam, despite the protests of her teammates.

"I should've been more alert," she whispered, not able to use her voice to full potential yet. She had awoken out of her anesthesia-induced slumber a few hours before, and the two boys insisted upon seeing her as soon as the doctors would permit them. "All the signs were there…I was just careless. How can I be a proper hunter if I can't sense an enemy that's right next to me?" Her tiny hands clenched and unclenched the bedding. "Ma and Pa are going to be upset…they…put a lot of faith in me…"

"Give it a rest, would ya?" Kakashi said, a wry smile on his face. "Talk like that makes me want to barf."

Two spots of color rose in Midori's cheeks as she stared at him, not quite sure how to respond.

"He's right, you know," Asuma put in. "If it weren't for your quick thinking, we'd all be shishcabobs right now. And I just **dare **you to tell me I'm wrong, Matsuda."

Midori's mouth opened and closed, and her head bowed.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "I'm being silly, aren't I?"

"I don't see what the problem is," Asuma went on, unrelenting. "You're not dead. That's definitely a good thing in my book."

That earned him a chuckle. "Yeah—"

"Midori!"

Aya was a black blur as she flew into the room and skidded to a halt near the bed, her eyes streaming tears. She took the other girl's hands in her own and clutched them.

"Oh, Midori, I was so scared for you! I only heard about what happened a few minutes ago—but you're okay! How do you feel? Does it hurt?"

Exchanging glances, Kakashi and Asuma silently rose from the chairs and backed out of the room, allowing the girls to have their reunion alone. Secretly, Kakashi was happy for a reason to leave, as he still did not know how to handle himself around Aya. He recalled with embarrassment that she had been the one to do all the talking upon their first official meeting, and he did not open his mouth even once to say something witty or intelligent.

**Why** these things concerned him all of a sudden, he did not understand, and he shook himself when he realized what he was doing.

_Geez__…she's just a girl. I've never been all weird about girls before, so why start now? I mean...Midori's a girl, and she doesn't bother me, my sister's a girl—but she's my sister, so she doesn't count…_

Kakashi was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't realize he was walking straight at Gai until they connected with each other.

"Oh, so he thinks he's such a hot-shot now that he's Chuunin that he can just walk into anyone, doesn't he?" Gai said huffily, his eyebrows twitching.

"You know, I was about to say sorry, but I don't think I want to anymore," Kakashi said to Asuma, who smirked.

"Buzz off, snark. You took the same test as us, and you failed all by yourself. Like Aya said, you're too flashy, Harold."

Gai's eyebrows began to twitch more violently as the other two boys got a better look at him. He was covered in bandages from head to foot, and a gauze pad covered a nasty gash above his left eye. All five fingers of his right hand were swollen, and two on the other were in splints. Colorful bruises littered his face and exposed areas of flesh not concealed by bandaging. Morino Seto had called Akagahara 'the Breaker,' and Gai looked broken, to say the least. Of course, he was too proud to submit to the bed rest that the doctors ordered, at least, not while all of his classmates were about, and so he chose to make the rounds instead to prove to everyone that a few (well, more than a few, in his case) injuries would not bring him down.

_Woah__…I guess Rai-sensei wasn't exaggerating at all when he said Gai got cut up…sheesh. _

Though he was not aware of it, Kakashi winced in sympathy. Seeing Gai made him realize how lucky he was to have made it out of the forest without a scratch.

Gai **did** notice the pity, and he did **not** appreciate it, not one bit. Taking a deep breath, he puffed out his chest as normal (though his sore ribs protested said motion) and, holding his head high, stalked past Kakashi and Asuma.

"You'd better watch out, because the Green Beast is not so easily defeated. I **will** crush the both of you one day, I promise you that." He growled as he went by, and continued on down the hall of the hospital wing without another glance in their direction.

"MAITO GAI! WHAT ON **EARTH **ARE YOU DOING OUT OF BED? GET YOUR SORRY BEHIND BACK TO THAT ROOM THIS INSTANT!"

An imposing looking nurse grabbed the protesting Gai by his ear and proceeded to drag him back to where Kakashi and Asuma stood gaping and around the corner, scolding him all the while.

"What were you thinking, you foolish boy! If I catch you out here again, I'll pummel you myself! It's straight to bed you go, and that's where you'll stay!"

"But I'm fine! I don't **need** to stay in bed! Come on…"

The voices faded off, to be replaced by the hysterical laughter of two boys, one dark haired, the other silver. For the moment, Kakashi's girl problems were forgotten, and he spent the rest of the afternoon with Asuma and Obito, who joined up with them after they left the hospital.

Kakashi was relieved to have the whole ordeal of the Chuunin Exam out of the way, even though there were some things about himself that he needed to change. He spent quite a bit of time thinking about those things, and wondering if, had not Midori been injured, events would have played out differently. In his heart, he believed that they would have, that he would be in just as bad a shape as Gai now. It was not a pleasant thought, to be sure, and later on that night, Kakashi stood in his backyard, hurling kunai after kunai at Asia's target tree in order to get rid of his frustration.

Haruko watched her son from the kitchen window, her brow creased. She knew that something was bothering him, and after an hour of hearing the steady thunk of metal striking wood, she'd had enough.

"Having fun?" Haruko inquired as she stepped out on the back porch. She sat down on the first step with her elbows resting on her knees and waited for a response.

"No," Kakashi said, and threw another knife at the tree. "Not--"one more, "At—" and another, "All."

"Come here and talk to me then," Haruko beckoned.

For a minute, Kakashi contemplated telling her that he would rather not, but from past experiences with his mother, he thought the better of it and did as she said.

"Well? Let's hear the tale of woe, then," Haruko said when her son was settled.

"Tale of—what?" _I don't like how that sounds…_

"Never mind, just explain to me why you felt it was necessary to keep chucking things for the past hour at that tree, please."

"Oh…I don't know. I'm mad at myself, I guess. And I'm mad that I could keep Midori from getting hurt, and I'm mad that I would have gone back to get another clover if she **hadn't** got hurt, and…" He paused, and looked at his mother, "I'm just **mad**."

Haruko nodded gravely. "I see," she said, and rested a hand on Kakashi's shoulder. "Don't ponder the 'what ifs,' kiddo. There's so many in a lifetime that you'd always be left with doubt, always looking over your shoulder, always believing that 'if I had done this, then that would have happened,' or should have, or could have…they're all the same, in the end. Who knows why things happen the way they do? I can tell you this, though: Everything has a purpose, even if we cannot see it." She moved her hand from his shoulder and ruffled his hair. "You know what you did wrong, so fix it." Grinning, she got to her feet again. "Throwing kunai at a tree isn't going to make a difference either way."

Kakashi remained on the step long after his mother left, thinking about her words as the playful night breeze kissed his upturned face.

* * *

A man with long, dark hair that shrouded his features sat at a makeshift table cluttered with documents, maps, a few books opened to specific sections that had been scribbled with notes, and scattered writing implements. A candle sat near his hand as he poured over a thick packet of reports, the light just enough to allow him to make out the words.

The network of tunnels that was his headquarters served a dual purpose: they provided various entrances and exits to any part of the Village, and he and his subordinates were able to prepare and train without anyone above being aware of it. He would emerge from the tunnels at sporadic intervals so no one would grow suspicious, though the Villagers often stayed away from the man with the pallid skin and sunken eyes who radiated a terrifying power. They feared him as they respected him, and both of those things kept them from delving into his business.

He was alone in this chamber save another man of similar appearance and stature, the author of the reports that the other read, and he leaned up against a wall with his arms crossed, waiting.

When the reader came to a particular section of the report, he looked up at his brother, and his smile was chilling.

"So, they grow complacent, it seems," he noted in his rasping voice. "I cannot say that I am surprised. It is only a matter of time before we make our move, and they will be unprepared."

The younger of the two removed a knife from his side holster and passed his finger over the blade, watching in fascination as the blood pooled from the wound. "The Hokage is too soft, too willing to trust." His yellow eyes met with his brother's identical ones, and he, too, smiled. "I am his favorite."

"You have done well, brother, and I shall remember it. Now go. We do not wish for Sandaime to pine in your absence," he said with venomous amusement.

The other inclined his head, and took his leave.

His brother returned to his reading.

* * *

Two weeks after the Chuunin Exams, Kakashi received his vest, and along with the vest came new duties, more training, and an increased number of mock-battles that the Jounins staged to test the new Chuunins, determining what posts would be more appropriate for each individual. Kakashi's strengths were his speed and his ability to advance upon an enemy without being seen until he attacked. As time went by, it became more and more apparent that Kakashi had shown flashes of becoming a skilled assassin, and his missions were often centered on stealth. Once in a while Kakashi would allow himself to imagine that he were a member of the elite team of assassins known as ANBU, though he knew that he had a lot of work to do before he could try for a position. For now, he focused on enjoying his missions and improving his skills.

And then there was his little problem with Aya. He still could not form coherent sentences when he was in her presence, a fact made worse by the teasing he endured from Asuma and Obito, and she did not seem to want to leave him alone. The wily girl continued to pester him about when their match would be, as she was convinced that they **would **be squaring off against each other some time soon.

"I've been busy…"

"Oh, doing what?"

"Er…" Kakashi dug his foot in the ground. "Stuff…" he mumbled.

Aya rolled her eyes. "Stuff? You don't seem to be doing 'stuff' now!"

_That's because you're distracting me!_

"Am I not allowed to take a break, oh princess know-it-all?" Kakashi snapped, now getting irritated. _Oh wow…I was able to say a full sentence that time!_

Aya's dark eyes narrowed. "Don't get snappy with me, you—" she stopped herself as a wonderful idea came to mind. "I'll tell Gai that you called him a pansy to everyone if you don't fight me," she said slyly, and Kakashi's face blanched.

That was a dirty trick.

For the past month, Kakashi had not had to deal with Gai's attention-seeking, as the other boy was still recovering from his injuries, but if Aya were to do something like she was threatening to do, all of that would change much sooner than he hoped. Asuma and Obito, as usual, were observing the entire display from the branches of a nearby tree, and they had to bite their tongues to keep from laughing at Kakashi's current predicament.

"I hate you," Kakashi stated bluntly. "Just so you know."

Aya grinned. "So? When are we fighting?"

"Monday, next week, 8 o'clock."

"Perfect. Weapons or unarmed?"

Kakashi pondered that. It had been awhile since he'd been able to use a katana, and he was itching to. "Swords."

"Even better," Aya replied, her grin growing wider. "And if you stand me up, I promise you'll be sorry," she added.

Kakashi gulped. __

_I'm going to die next week. _

Unable to hold back any longer, Asuma and Obito cackled.

Confused, Aya tilted her head and peered up through the tree. "Oh, how juvenile," she scoffed and winked at Kakashi before walking away. "Don't forget!"

"I won't," he croaked back, a sense of impending doom settling on him like a lead weight.

The tree continued to chortle.

* * *

There was only one thing that kept Kakashi's mind off of his upcoming 'death by the bionic super chick,' as Asuma called it, was the visit by Raidon one afternoon while Kakashi was taking a well-deserved nap after a long morning of combat practice.

"I've got something I want to show you," was all the answer that Kakashi received when he inquired about the reason for his former-sensei's presence, and the two now walked towards the very same forest that Rai had taken his new students for their first 'mission.'

When they reached the two large rocks near the entrance, Rai sat on one and he motioned for Kakashi to take the other. He did so with raised brows.

"How are you going to show me anything if we just sit here?"

The blond man grinned. "I want to explain something to you first." His bright blue eyes met with the boy's. "I've been thinking quite a bit about you lately, Kakashi. You're unlike any child that I've ever met, but I think you know that. You have a great capacity to learn, and you have the potential to become legendary. Now, don't go thinking that just because I say you're good that you don't have room to improve, because there's **always** room," Kakashi nodded in understanding, a tad shell-shocked, "but I want you to understand that what I'm about to teach you is not something that just anyone can do. There are only a select few ninja who posses the skill and power to execute it, but I know that you can."

Kakashi's head swam. He had not been expecting that. "I…thank you," was all he could say for a minute, but then the fact that he would be learning a new justu sunk in, and he could barely contain his excitement.

"What kind of jutsu is it?"

"Kuchiyose no Justu, to be exact."

His eyes went wide. "Summoning?"

"Of course," Raidon replied, and dug around in his pouch for a scroll. "I see you've heard of it, so you know it requires a contract and a blood sacrifice. Now if I could only…find…the…blasted…contract…ah, there it is." He removed the scroll and unrolled it, laying it out on the surface of Kakashi's rock.

"I believe you're interested in joining up with ANBU somewhere down the line, am I right?"

"How did you know that?"

"Lucky guess," Raidon waved his hand, "anyway, I think a tracker will come in handy then, don't you? Plus, I know how much you love those pooches of yours, so a dog will be the perfect match."

__For some reason, Kakashi was growing suspicious. "Wait, wait…why are you doing all this? I don't mean any disrespect or anything, but it seems weird—well, weirder than normal, because you've always been weird—for you to decide to teach me, and only me. Where's the catch?"

"Weren't you listening to my little speech before?" Raidon pretended to be affronted. "Well now you've gone and hurt my feelings. Isn't it enough that I think you've got what it takes to be something better? This jutsu was…well, made for someone like you, with your level of control. I think I'd know your skill better than a lot of people, seeing as that I **was **your sensei for a year," he pointed out. "Besides, I like you." He reached forward and ruffled Kakashi's hair.

After a bit of internal debating, Kakashi decided that that explanation was satisfactory for the time being. He was too eager to begin summoning to worry about ulterior motives now, anyway.

The process of learning the correct seals for the jutsu took a matter of minutes, and Kakashi was more than confident when he used his teeth to break the skin of his thumb and sign his name on the scroll.

"Remember what I told you," Raidon said as he stood off to the side to watch, "focus all of your chakra into that seal, or it won't work, and then you'll have a grumpy elemental on your tail. They **hate** when they get interrupted by amateurs, so you'd better make sure to let him know that you mean business."

Kakashi nodded absently, only half-hearing Rai's words. Smearing his bleeding thumb on the rock, he performed the hand-seal at lightning speed and smacked his hand down.

"Kuchiyose no Justu!"

He could feel the familiar essence of his chakra jolting down his arm and onto the rock, but it was now mixed with a foreign chakra, one that was more powerful than his own, trying to jerk him aside. Kakashi held on, however, and a few seconds later there was a loud POOF.

At first, Kakashi believed that something went wrong.

_Damn it! Now I'm gonna have to do it again! But I **know** that I had the seal right! What's the deal? Aren't the elementals supposed to be bigger than a house and make the ground shake when they move? _

The dog that appeared on the rock was clearly too little.

"What are you staring at, brat?" The dog growled in a deep, dry voice. "I know I'm cute, but honestly."

That only made Kakashi stare more. _Cute?__ **Cute?**He's all…squashed! _

"Good job, Kakashi! You did it! And on your first try, too! I'm impressed!" Raidon congratulated, and stepped forward to peer at the dog.

Kakashi's made a face. He pointed at the dog. "You mean **that's **it? But he's awful small, isn't he? I mean—AUGH!"

The dog's tiny, pointed teeth were locked on Kakashi's finger.

It hurt.

In an attempt to dislodge the canine from his finger, Kakashi began waving his arm around in the air, but the dog just sailed along with it. Rai attempted to keep a straight face, he truly did, but he found the task too difficult.

"I'm sorry!"

That didn't work. It wasn't sincere enough.

Time for desperate measures.

"I'M SORRY! YOU'RE A WONDERFUL POOCHIE! DID I SAY YOU WERE THE MOST ADORABLE DOG I'VE EVER SEEN?"

The dog let go, and Kakashi had to resist the urge to kick it.

"Humph. You're right. I am adorable, aren't I?"

_More adorable than belly button lint._

"Yeah! Pugs are the best kinds of dogs, in my opinion."

Raidon put a hand over his mouth.

The dog was unperterbed. "Yes, we are," his droopy eyes went wide all of a sudden in his squashed face, and he beckoned for Kakashi to lean in closer with one tiny paw. "If you're good, I'll let you touch my pad," he whispered, and stuck the paw in Kakashi's face.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Eh?"

_This dog is mental. _

"PURI, PURI!!!" The dog bellowed, and Kakashi fell over on his rump, his hair on end.

_That's it. I want a refund. _

"Oh, and my name is Pakkun, so you'd better use it."

Naruto and Sakura were both laughing by this point, as they recalled with fondness a similar meeting with the pug-dog Pakkun when they were still Genins. Kakashi laughed along with them.

"That dog," he said, shaking his head. "He's an ass, but what can you do? He did grow on me after a while. A very long while, but still."

* * *

There will be more from our favorite poochie in the next chapter, I promise! And I'll try my hardest to not take so long with it!


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